Water Pollution Control Links

Protection of Oceans and Coastal Resources Links

The U.S.. Environmental Protection Agency's regulations implementing the Clean Water Act are codified at 40 C.F.R. pts. 100-140. Effluent guidelines and standards and general pretreatment regulations are located at 40 C.F.R. pts. 400-471. EPA's regulations governing the issuance of permits under § 404 of the Act can be found at 40 C.F.R. pts. 230-233; the regulations governing the US Army Corps of Engineers' section 404 permit program are found at 33 C.F.R. pts. 323-331. These CFR sections are available online through the National Archives and Records Administration's website, which includes a searchable version of the Code of Federal Regulations (http://www.gpo.gov/nara/about-cfr.html) and an electronic version of the CFR ("e-CFR") updated continuously, which can be found at http://www.access.gpo.gov/ecfr.

EPA's Office of Water (OW) is responsible for implementing the Clean Water Act. OW's website is located at http://www.epa.gov/ow. An organization chart for the office can be found at http://www.epa.gov/water/programs/orgchart.html. Links to webpages for programs implemented by the Office of Water can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ow/programs. A webpage describing EPA's regulatory docket for water programs is located at http://www.epa.gov/ow/docket.html. The goals EPA seeks to achieve through its National Water Program are described at http://www.epa.gov/ow/programs/glsobj.html. EPA's efforts to encourage action to control nonpoint source pollution are described at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/. The activities of the agency's Office of Wastewater Management are explained at http://www.epa.gov/owm/.

EPA's Office of Water maintains a listserve that allows the public to sign up to receive regular news about water issues by electronic mail. Instructions concerning how to subscribe to the listserve as well as back issues of the agency's "WaterNews" can be found at http://www.epa.gov/OW/waternews. Documents and reference services on water issues can be ordered from the Office of Water's Resource Center. A webpage describing the Center can be found at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/resource/index.html.

One of the most interesting features of the EPA Water Office's website is its Watershed Information Network, which allows users to "Surf Your Watershed" to obtain information about the watershed in which they live. It includes a national watershed atlas, which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/wateratlas, a search function for locating watersheds by zipcode, city, river, county or state (http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm), an index of watershed indicators for assessing the health of individual watershed, and an "Adopt Your Watershed" program at http://www.epa.gov/adopt/.

EPA operates a toll-free Wetlands Helpline that provides information about wetlands issues and regulatory requirements concerning development in wetlands areas. The Wetlands Helpline can be reached by phoning (800) 832-7828. The Army Corps of Engineers has a website with links to regulatory documents concerning its § 404 permit program at http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/functions/cw/cecwo/reg/sadmin3.htm.

The Natural Resources Defense Council's webpage includes an extensive set of links to other nonprofit organizations working on various aspects of clean water issues. It can be accessed at http://www.nrdc.org/reference/topics/water.asp.

A GUIDE TO MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET CONCERNING PROTECTION OF OCEANS AND COASTAL RESOURCES

EPA's regulations governing ocean dumping can be found at 40 C.F.R. pts. 221-228. The US Army Corps of Engineers' regulations governing permits for ocean dumping of dredged material are codified at 40 C.F.R. Part 324. These CFR sections are available online through the National Archives and Records Administration's website, which includes a searchable version of the Code of Federal Regulations (http://www.gpo.gov/nara/about-cfr.html) and an electronic version of the CFR ("e-CFR") updated continuously, which can be found at http://www.access.gpo.gov/ecfr.

The webpage for the Oceans and Coastal Protection Division of EPA's Office of Water can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/. It includes links to information on ocean dumping, invasive species, coral reef protection, cruise ship discharges, marine debris and management of dredged materials. Information about the various marine pollution control programs in which EPA is involved can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regs/. This page contains links to updates on developments concerning the ocean dumping program, regulations and statutes, and maps with the locations of sites designated for ocean dumping, organized by EPA regions. A concise explanation of how the regulatory program established by Ocean Dumping Act operates can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/OCPD/marine.html.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations agency responsible for preventing pollution of the oceans from ships, has a webpage at http://www.imo.org. The Center for Marine Conservation has a webpage located at http://www.cmc-ocean.org/.