Why are National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations important?
By 1972, municipal and industrial wastewater pollution of the rivers, streams, and lakes in America had become a national concern. To clean up the nation’s waters, Congress passed the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972. This Act formed the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Program. The main goals of the NPDES Program are to control the amount of pollution that can enter waters of the United States and protect the beneficial uses of all streams and lakes. EPA delegated authority for this program to South Dakota on December 30, 1993.
