Adorning the walls of 13 Metro stations in Maryland, Virginia, and DC are these colorful posters depicting the benefits of clean water. States and localities will take giant steps toward keeping their rivers and streams clean and their residents protected from waterborne illnesses if the 106th Congress passes the Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act. The program also funds stormwater, wetlands, estuary, and nonpoint source improvements. Funding authority for the SRF program expired in 1994 and needs to be renewed in order to continue to assist local communities in obtaining the capital necessary to rebuild America's wastewater infrastructure.
Local governments have primary responsibility for wastewater treatment.
They own and operate 16,000 treatment plants nationwide. More recently, cities and counties have turned to fees or charges levied on users of public services to cover all or a portion of local capital costs. States must agree to use SRF monies first to ensure that wastewater treatment facilities are in compliance with deadlines, goals, and requirements of the Act. The total population served by sewage treatment plants that provide a minimum of secondary treatment increased from 85 million in 1972 to 173 million in 1996, representing 66 percent of the U.S. population. About 17 million people are served by facilities that provide less than secondary treatment, which federal law requires.