Control Act,* contains a requirement of historic 

 significance-that water quality standards for inter- 

 state waters be set by the States, and then be 

 approved as Federal standards by the Secretary of 

 the Interior. Congress defined "interstate waters" 

 to include all coastal waters. Coastal waters are 

 those waters affected by the ebb and flow of the 

 tide and clearly include estuaries.' 



All States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 

 Rico, and the Virgin Islands have submitted water 

 quality standards. By the middle of 1968, most 

 had been approved as Federal standards. The 

 remainder were under review by the Department 

 of the Interior. 



The standards identify uses of the waters, 

 including agricultural, municipal, industrial, recrea- 

 tional, fishery and wildlife. They indicate the 

 water quality necessary to support each use, and 

 include plans to implement and enforce this 

 quality. 



The Nation does not yet have enough experi- 

 ence to know whether the Water Quality Act of 

 1965 will be effective in protecting and enhancing 

 the waters of its coastal zone. Suggestions have 

 been made that the Secretary of the Interior be 

 given authority to seek court action against poten- 

 tial polluters. We feel that such authority would 

 not necessarily be more effective than the means 

 that the States and Federal Water Pollution Con- 

 trol Administration already have. Moreover, 

 awarding such authority would be premature since 

 time must be given to test and appraise adequately 

 the effectiveness and enforcement of the water 

 quality standards. 



Through effective State-Federal relationships in 

 carrying out the provisions of the Water Pollution 

 Control Act, we see a powerful instrument for 

 fashioning a healthy coastal zone system. The 

 intent of this act would be further abetted if 

 public hearings were called prior to any action that 

 would appear to affect significantly the water 

 quality of the coastal zone. Such public hearings 

 are now required only if standards are to be 

 changed. If after sufficient experience the Nation 

 finds that the water quality of its coastal zone is 

 nonetheless being unacceptably degraded, then 



additional executive and legislative action will be 

 needed. 



Each State, having set its water quahty stand- 

 ards, has the responsibility to monitor the waters 

 to which these standards apply and enforce their 

 application. 



The Nation should know how well this program 

 is proceeding. Therefore, this panel recommends 

 that the Secretary of the Interior prepare a 

 biennial report of the pollution level of each of the 

 Nation's estuaries and how it relates to the 

 progress the various States are making in their 

 pollution abatement programs under the Water 

 Quahty Act of 1965. Data for the inventory 

 should be gathered by the individual States with 

 the cooperation and support of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. 



Long-range water quality planning is clearly 

 essential (1) to satisfy the needs of local commu- 

 nities, States, and the Nation, (2) to allocate 



°33U.S.C. 466. 



^Contained in memorandum of June 13, 1966, to 

 Commissioner, Federal Water Pollution Control Admini- 

 stration from Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior, 

 Interior Memo No. M-36690. 



Figure 6. "Combined" storm sewers are a 

 major source of water pollution by municipal 

 sewage. (Federal Water Pollution Control Ad- 

 ministration photo) 



IH-54 



