Federal Policies on Enforcement Measures 

 Against Pollution of 



Interstate or Navigable Waters 



In order to meet the challenge of the rising tide of pollution created by 

 growing cities and industries, the Congress authorized, in addition to 

 research, technical investigations and studies, financial aid, and other 

 programs aimed at strengthening State pollution-control programs. Federal 

 enforcement in cases of pollution of interstate or navigable waters which 

 endangers the health or welfare of any persons. 



There have been fifteen conferences under this enforcement program held 

 in the United States to date, with two scheduled for the near future. In 

 excess of 500 cities and industries have been directly involved in these 

 conferences. The cost of construction of pollution abatement facilities 

 that have resulted directly from these conferences exceeds $500 million. 

 In all cases, cities and industries have complied with requirements speci- 

 fied in the several conferences. Except for one situation, no cases have 

 reached the Court stage. 



Thus, while the Olympia conference was the first held under the 1961 Amend- 

 ments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act on pollution problems 

 within one State, the conference technique has been widely used during the 

 past five years. The Chief of the Enforcement Branch of the Federal Pol- 

 lution Control Program has consistently stated that the success of the 

 enforcement phase of the Federal water pollution control program will be 

 counted, not on the basis of how many cases are won in court, but on how 

 many solutions can be reached following the public presentation of facts 

 in a conference such as that held in Olympia. 



The principal policy followed by the Federal Government is to strengthen 

 State water pollution control programs in order that problems can be re- 

 solved or otherwise enforced at the State level without Federal action. 

 The Olympia conference had this as its purpose. As a result of this con- 

 ference, the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 

 has recommended to the Washington Pollution Control Commission that it 

 undertake whatever steps may be necessary to bring about remedial action 

 in this situation. It is the hop° of the Federal Government that, based 

 upon the presentation of data at the conference, those creating pollution 

 of the waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and their navi- 

 gable tributaries and estuaries, will be able to arrive at a satisfactory 

 solution of this problem with the State of Washington's Pollution Control 

 Commission. 



It is to be expected that, in working toward a solution to this problem, 

 differing viewpoints will result in differing conclusions. The Washington 

 Pollution Control Commission, responsible for carrying out the law to safe- 

 guard the State's water resources, on the evidence of extensive studies 

 and surveys over many years has concluded that pollution exists in Puget 

 Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca area. Based on this conclusion, it 



