Water quality law
Additionally, these laws provide regulations on the alteration of the chemical, physical, radiological, and biological characteristics of water resources.
Regulatory areas include sewage treatment and disposal, industrial and agricultural waste water management, and control of surface runoff from construction sites and urban environments.
Water quality laws define the portion of this complex system subject to regulatory control.
Even within jurisdictions, complexities may arise where water flows between subsurface and surface, or saturates land without permanently inundating it (wetlands).
"[2] However, the Act defines "pollutants" subject to its control more specifically, as "dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials [with certain exceptions], heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.
The United States Supreme Court addressed these issues in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (2013).
Based on the criteria, regulatory decisions on water quality standards may change to also incorporate political considerations, such as the economic costs and benefits of compliance.
[9] If the water body fails the existing WQS criteria, the state develops a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for pollutants of concern.
Human activity impacting water quality will then be controlled via other regulatory means in order to achieve the TMDL targets.
[17]) Within a single country's regulated waters, administrations may have legal authority to hold a responsible party accountable.
[18] Transboundary pollution is addressed through international environmental agreements that may be in the form of bi-lateral, tri-lateral, or multilateral treaties.
The main purpose of this bill is to prevent ships and vehicles from and coming to the United States from dumping hazardous materials in U.S territories.
It also prohibits toxic material from leaving the United States with the purpose of being dumped and polluting international waters.
[28]There are two major nongovernmental organizations that have made monumental advancements in improving the quality of water internationally.
