America's Water Quality & Big Industry Coming Back

Now that INDUSTRY is moving back to the United States and bringing much-needed jobs and a healthy economic outlook with them, we can't afford to forget what our water quality was like before industries moved out of our country to places like China, Indonesia, South America, etc. We've all read the articles and seen the pictures of how industry has demolished water quality in those countries Thing is, many of those industries were polluting America's waterways before they moved. It was expensive to comply with America's NPDES discharge permits so they moved where compliance was non existent or very slack, but now that they're coming back to the Clean Water Act and NPDES Permit accountability for water quality violations, whose going to enforce the requirements. We have already been told the USEPA is going to take a backseat approach to Clean Water Act enforcement and place most of the burden on states. The states are following the EPAs example and telling us they're going to lay enforcement inspections on the shoulders of local governments, otherwise known municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s). So what's going to happen?

For contrast, take a look at much of Indonesia's water quality, and you will find polluters willingly violating laws set in place to  protect  people downstream. Logic holds that it is cheaper to produce goods in places where there is less regard for quality of life.  Good Water Quality Today Takes NPDES Compliance and Enforcement to Happen! In America, the same logic holds true. If local or state governments choose not to enforce clean water permits, polluted rivers and lakes are sure to follow - we're already seeing it with regard to nutrient pollution from agriculture. It's an unfortunate truth that the fear of paying big fines, stop work orders and possible jail time is what motivates most pollutant dischargers to be good stewards of rivers and lakes, not just getting coverage under a NPDES Permit.

Why do companies like the NPDES Stormwater Training Institute work so hard to educate and empower people to comply with and enforce the NPDES permit program without apology? We're patriots, just like many industrial operators and construction sites are. We want to preserve out country's water quality for our children, and not trash it for short term gain. That said, we also don't want "over enforcement" of environmental laws IF they prevent a company from being profitable enough to pay good wages. IT's balance, we just want to help people find that balance.

One needs only to look at these powerful photos from the archives of the EPA to remind us of how bad things were before accountability for clean water.