This is from online Grist Magazine:

A FINE KETTLE OF FISH
The federal Clean Water Act might be a great thing in theory, but
how's it doing in practice?  Not so well, it turns out, due to the
failure of the U.S. EPA to adequately enforce it.  At any given
moment, roughly 25 percent of all large industrial plants and
water-treatment facilities are in violation of federal pollution
standards -- but the EPA generally fails to take action against all
but a handful of them.  According to an internal study by the agency,
half of the serious offenders exceed pollution limits for hazardous
substances by more than 100 percent; 13 percent exceed limits by
1,000 percent.  Yet on average, the EPA takes formal disciplinary
action in no more than 15 percent of cases, and fewer than half of
those actions result in fines.  (And small ones, at that:  The
average fine was just $6,000.)  The data from the study is drawn
largely from the years 1999-2001, but represents a decade-long trend,
officials said.  The rampant polluting can devastate fisheries,
poison waterways, and threaten human health.

straight to the source:  Washington Post, Guy Gugliotta and Eric
Pianin, 06 Jun 2003
<http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1203>

do good:  Take action to save the Clean Water Act
<http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/air.asp?source=daily#birthday>



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