Released on April 27, 2011, the Clean Water Framework demonstrates our government’s commitment to continuing efforts to improve water quality that began with the Clean Water Act (CWA) passage in 1972. The publication explains ongoing and future initiatives at the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to address complex clean water challenges facing us today.

Since the passing of the CWA, we have improved water quality in our watersheds while maintaining development, agriculture, recreational use, and national landmarks. Challenges such as dwindling supplies of clean fresh water, fragmentation of land and watersheds, loss of habitat for fish and wildlife, and a changing climate add complexity to protecting our waters and threaten to erode our progress. Designed to address these challenges, key components of the Clean Water Framework include:

• Promoting innovative partnerships between states, local communities, private enterprise stakeholders, and the public to “restore urban waters, promote sustainable water supplies, and develop new incentives for farmers to protect clean water.” 
• Ensuring water quality to protect public health by updating water quality standards, protecting drinking water sources, and providing affordable clean water solutions to rural communities through grants and loans.
• Enhancing communities and economies by restoring the water quality of important water bodies. Assistance is being increased to help local governments, states, tribes, and stakeholders develop conservation approaches tailored to the specific needs of these iconic places. Specific initiatives include:
  • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
  • Chesapeake Bay Restoration
  • Everglades and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
  • California Bay-Delta
  • Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Recovery
• Innovation for more water-efficient communities by bringing together policymakers, consumers, agricultural interests, and businesses to develop 21st century water management solutions.
• Enhancing use and enjoyment of our waters by expanding waterways for recreation and rural landscapes. 
• Updating water policies regarding water resource guidelines and explaining the applicability and reach of the CWA. Specific initiatives include:
  • CWA draft guideance on the scope of waters protected
  • Modernizing federal rules for water resources development
  • Effective stewardship of water resources in national forests
• Support science to solve water problems by investing in scientific research to identify and provide solutions for known and emerging contaminants.

With this framework, the federal government has made a formal proclamation that water quality issues are regional and more complex than when we first passed the CWA, and that concerted efforts will be made in the near future to improve water quality in the nation’s waterways. This should lead to significant growth in source water protection, stormwater, and water and wastewater treatment facility design service sectors. We can best be poised to take advantage of the growth in these market sectors by staying up-to-date of upcoming regulations, technical advances in treatment design, water rights and wastewater reclamation related issues, and regional water quality and watershed cleanup efforts.