Photo of lake with trees around it. An example of a water body in Virginia that could be protected by the Clean water act
May 25, 2022

CWA50: Water Quality Standards and Remedying Unhealthy Waters

Water quality is a primary focus of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The CWA protects water quality by regulating pollutant discharges into surface waters so as to maintain and restore unhealthy water. But how do you know whether a lake, stream, river, estuary, or other water body is healthy? And what happens when it is… Read more


Lesser scaup swimming in water with reflections at Viera Wetlands.
November 18, 2021

Citizen Enforcement of the Clean Water Act

Our Clean Water Act (CWA50) blog series continues with a short overview of one of the Clean Water Act’s most powerful enforcement mechanisms: the citizen suit provision. Clean Water Act History Under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), the states, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and citizens all have enforcement authority. This novel environmental enforcement framework… Read more