Watered Down.

The article focuses on the Clean Water Act enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1972 to make all waters of the U.S. fishable and swimmable by 1983, then end all pollution by 1985. The law authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set limits on pollution by awarding discharge permits. Under the polluter pays concept, industry was required to pick up the tab for treating its waste, but municipalities got huge grants to upgrade sewage plants from primary treatment to secondary. What the law has and has not done to the Blackstone River is noted. Amendments to the law are also discussed.