On October 15, 2009, US EPA announced its intention to step up enforcement under the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan announced by US EPA outlines how it will strengthen the way it addresses water pollution, with the goals of (1) targeting enforcement to the most significant pollution problems; (2) improving transparency and accountability through better public access to water quality information; and (3) strengthening state and federal enforcement performance levels and improving consistency. US EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance developed the plan at Administrator Jackson’s direction following data indicating the nation’s water quality is unacceptably low in many areas.
More information on the Plan can be found at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html. This plan is seen as a first step in the revamping of the compliance and enforcement program.