estoration Act provided funding for the construction of several wastewater treatment facilities. The Nixon administration continued these efforts to preserve the environment. In 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act consolidated the functions of several existing agencies into the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Then, the Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (P.L. 92-500) increased the federal government's role in water pollution regulation. P.L. 92-500 funded the construction of wastewater treatment plants, increased environmental planning, and created both effluent regulatory mechanisms and a permit system. Overall, these various measures were designed to provide a long-term program to "reduce water use, reduce the generation of wastes, and establish financially self-sustaining public-owned pollution control facilities." In later years, additional legislation aimed at protecting the nation's water supplies included the 1972 Clean Water Act and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act. Moreover, these statutes were amended in 1987 and 1986, respectively.
The passage of pollution control laws has drawn increasing attention to the importance of water pollution. The statutes give the EPA and state governments the power to issue enforceable regulations designed to improve the nation's water quality. Moreover, they have also motivated industries and municipalities to develop their own internal water pollution control programs. Such programs perform environmental monitoring and sampling, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and obtain permits. In addition, they may also engage in wastewater reclamation.
Wastewater can be defined as "liquid wastes collected in a sewer system and conveyed to a treatment plant for processing." Wastewater generally has a variety of components. For example, it may or may not include storm runoff water. Domestic wastewater consists of liquid material collected from ...