341 



A Federal agency, Trorking in cooperation with the States, to 

 study and report on water pollution and pollution abatement 

 projects, to determine criteria for water quality. 



Loans or grants to public agencies, and loans to nonpublic 

 enterprises for construction of waste treatment plants. 

 Federal assistance to the States in technical areas.^ 

 A new bill somewhat along these lines was tried in Congress in 

 1940; this time the bill was defeated over a ditference between the 

 Senate and House versions. Thereafter, interest in the subiect waned 

 until after World War 11.^ 



II. Postwar Coxsideration of Antipollution Legislation 



The issue of legislative control over water pollution was revived 

 almost immediately after World War II. Four days of hearings were 

 held by the House Committee on Eivers and Harbors on the subject 

 in Xovember 1945. Urgency of such legislation was stressed by repre- 

 sentatives of the Izaak Walton League who asked for an early pro- 

 hibition of further sources of pollution, and provisions for Federal 

 funding of corrective measures. A different position was taken by 

 Abel Wolman, former chairman of the National Eesources Com- 

 mittee's special advisory committee on water pollution. He viewed 

 water pollution as a serious and continuing problem, but one on 

 which action could be deferred until the outlay would serve the double 

 purpose of pollution abatement and providing unemployment relief 

 during economic depression. For the most part, he implied, industries 

 and municipalities could manage the financing of needed works.^ 

 Congress took no further action on the matter in that session. 



The following year, under the sponsorship of the Conference of 

 State Sanitary Engineers, a national meeting was convened, in Novem- 

 ber, of representatives of State and national health agencies, conserva- 

 tion organizations, and technical societies, to discuss water pollution. 

 This meeting produced a legislative proposal vrhich became the basis 

 for the 1948 act. 



Legislative proposals for water pollution abatement in 191^7 



An initial bill, sponsored by Senators Barkley and Taft, S. 418, was 

 introduced, January 29, 1947, that embodied the recommendations of 

 the conference. The Barkley-Taft bill called for (in substance) — 

 Eesearch and technical assistance to State and interstate agen- 

 cies for investigation of water jwllution from sewage and indus- 

 trial Avastes ; 



_ Federal grants to States and interstate agencies for investiga- 

 tion and promotion of water pollution control with annual 

 appropriations at $1.5 million for an indefinite period; 



5 IblcL, pp. 82-87. 



8 For legislative history of this period, see : U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Com- 

 merce. Water-Pollution Control. Hearings before the * • * on S. 1691, a bill to prevent 

 the pollution of the navigable waters of the T'nited States, and for other purposes Mar 22 

 23, and 27. 1939. 76th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office' 

 1939), 177 pages ; U.S. Congress. Senate Committee on Commerce. Water-Pollution Control. 

 Report to accompany S. 685. 76th Cong., 1st sess. Report 120, (Washington, U.S. Govern- 

 ment Printing Office. 19.39), 4 pages; U.S. Congress. Senate Committee on Commerce, cre- 



Water Pollution. Nov. 13, 14, 15. and 20, 1945. 79th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington, U.S. 

 Government Printing Office, 1946), p. 67. 



