Another important reason for the State's requesting Federal assistance 

 results from the basic challenge presented by these pulp and paper mills 

 to the ability of the State to conserve and safeguard all of its waters 

 against pollution. The pulp and paper mills are seeking a fundamental 

 change in State policy which, if successful, would result in largely de- 

 stroying the effectiveness of the present and otherwise excellent State of 

 Washington pollution control program. This change in policy would subject 

 waters throughout the State to a high degree of pollution by allowing them 

 to be used for the dilution and dispersal of untreated or inadequately 

 treated sewage and industrial waste effluents. 



The State's request for assistance from the Federal water pollution con- 

 trol program is in accord with the long-standing policy of Federal assist- 

 ance to strengthen State and local pollution control programs. Such 

 assistance in the form of research and technical services has been pro- 

 vided for over a half-century. More recently, the Federal Government has 

 been providing financial assistance to cities to construct municipal sew- 

 age treatment works, and financial assistance to State water pollution 

 control agencies to maintain strong State programs. 



Policies of the State of Washington 



A number of questions have been raised, primarily by some in the pulp and 

 paper industry, concerning water quality standards and their application 

 in the Washington Pollution Control Commission's program. 



Water quality standards are used in a wide variety of ways in their appli- 

 cation to water pollution control programs in the various States through- 

 out the country. A number of eastern States use a stream classification 

 program and specific numerical values for various aspects of water quality 

 to assist in determining treatment requirements for river basins and lakes 

 or portions of them. In a few States, the State legislature, by legal 

 mandate, establishes these classifications and quality requirements. In 

 general, these methods are in use by States in which pollution has already 

 taken a high toll of water quality. States whose rivers, lakes and ocean 

 frontages are highly polluted have found it useful to use these devices as 

 a means of attempting to reclaim, upgrade and revive their water resources 

 from the highly polluted conditions resulting from inadequate control 

 efforts over many years. 



Other States have developed effective programs by using requirements which 

 specify the amount of wastes that can be discharged by each industry or 

 other waste-producing operation to achieve generally stated, rather than 

 specific, numerical water quality values. This is accomplished by the 

 establishment of effluent requirements. 



The State of Washington has selected, as its method of operation, the es- 

 tablishment of controls over the effluents discharged by waste producers 

 under general water quality values, rather than the establishment of 

 specific numbers for each quality factor along with a scheme for the 

 classification of waters. 



