The public health importance of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act was critical to preserving the integrity of our water with many provisions in place that protect our water from industry pollution and requires permits for disposal methods previously unregulated by law. Congress supported the act despite 2 presidents opposing the bill.

Before the act, it was common practice to dump waste water directly into fresh water sources which led to dangerous levels of toxins inside of water commonly used by the public. In Chicago the river population started to grow after these acts were in place and humans and animals were able to enjoy the water as life began to flourish in the river.

The clean water act aims to protect the public from toxins in water but serious updates are needed to our outdated sewer and storm drain systems because there are still many pollutants reaching our clean water systems.