Overview of Environmental Laws and Regulations

Water and wastewater professionals spend their careers inside the "green maze" of environmental law. If you have ever felt a bit lost, you are not alone. Now, there is a new guide to help you find your way around the green maze. This book is an easy-to-understand introduction to the complex maze of environmental laws that directly or indirectly affect water and wastewater utilities. Laws and regulations that affect water and wastewater utilities include the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Superfund, Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, Endangered Species Act, and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act. Each of these major pieces of legislation is explained in clear, nonlegal language and is placed in the context of water and wastewater utility regulation. Selected state environmental regulations, riparian water rights, prior appropriation rights, and ordinances are also discussed. Author Joseph Bernosky includes a brief history of environmental regulations, the scope and nature of regulations that affect water and wastewater utilities, overlaps and gaps in the laws, environmental advocacy, public participation, stakeholders' roles and relationships to each other, and future regulatory trends. He does not delve into the specific requirements of individual regulations, e.g., MCLs. This readable guide is ideal for all water and wastewater professionals, legislators and regulators, and anyone who needs to have knowledge of the federal laws affecting the day-to-day workings of water and wastewater treatment utilities.