76 



tors. Improved understanding of estuarine 

 processes and the economic values of alterna- 

 tive uses of the coastal zone will assist in 

 developing more sophisticated standards and 

 long-term plans for bringing them into 

 being. 



The Commission recommends increased 

 emphasis, particularly by the Federal 

 Water Pollution Control Administration, 

 on research into the identification of spe- 

 cific pollutants and their effects and im- 

 mediate action by FWPCA with the assist- 

 ance of the National Oceanic and Atmos- 

 pheric Agency to develop and to deploy 

 instrumentation to detect and record pol- 

 lution loads as part of an overall estuarine 

 monitoring network. 



Action Programs for Achieving Water 

 Quality Objectives 



Estimates of the funds required for the 

 present backlog of water pollution control 

 projects and for keeping pace with popula- 

 tion growth through the year 2000 run as high 

 as $40 billion. By any account, a national ef- 

 fort is required, guided by a firm set of prior- 

 ities. It must embi-ace Federal, State, and 

 local governments and the private sector, and 

 it must be tailored to reflect growing knowl- 

 edge and experience. Systems for detecting 

 pollution and violations of water quality 

 standards must be improved. Existing legal 

 authorities must be tested and clarified. 

 Existing water pollution control legislation 

 is inadequate in dealing with spillage of 

 hazardous materials. Financial responsibility 

 should be assigned to owners and operators of 

 offending vessels and shore installations. 

 Legislation must define the extent to which 

 pollutors shall bear the cost of abatement. 

 However, although there is still much to be 

 done, the Commission concludes that the pres- 



ent legislation, coupling Federal and State 

 enforcement authorities, provides a powerful 

 instrument for controlling pollution. If ex- 

 perience should prove that the States lack the 

 will to achieve their water quality objectives 

 or that the present legislation is inadequate, 

 the Congress would have a responsibility to 

 take the necessary action to protect the na- 

 tional interest. So that the public can be kept 

 aware of the state of water pollution in the 

 Nation, 



The Commission recommends that bien- 

 nial reports to the Congress be made by 

 the Secretary of the Interior regarding 

 the progress of each of the States in their 

 pollution abatement programs. 



Action by the Congress is required now 

 to clarify two specific aspects of the Federal 

 authority to prevent unwanted pollution of 

 coastal waters. 



The first concerns the authority of the 

 Corps of Engineers to consider the environ- 

 mental effects of construction activities in the 

 Nation's waterways. The Corps' regulations 

 now require that it evaluate "all relevant fac- 

 tors, including the effect of the proposed work 

 on navigation, fish, and wildlife conserva- 

 tion, pollution and the general public inter- 

 est" in determining whether to grant a con- 

 struction permit. But its statutory authority 

 to deny construction permits for reasons 

 other than obstructions to navigation is un- 

 certain and should be extended to include 

 such reasons. It is now contended thait statu- 

 tory authority does not exist. If this con- 

 tention should be upheld, 



The Commission recommends that the 

 Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 be 

 amended to empower the U.S. Army Corps 

 of Engineers to deny a permit in order to 



