STATEMENT OF SENATOR JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE HEARING
ON THE CLEAN WATER ACTION PLAN
MAY 13, 1999

Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing to review the progress made during the first year of implementation of the Clean Water Action Plan. The Clean Water Action Plan, which was developed during the 25th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, in 1997, is an exciting strategy. It represents a nationwide commitment to redouble our efforts to protect America's rivers, streams, lakes, and estuaries for the fish, wildlife and people who depend on them. Few would dispute that we made tremendous strides in improving and protecting the quality of America's waters between 1972 and 1997. With that 25 years of experience and the Clean Water Action Plan as a blueprint for our future water quality improvement efforts, I believe we can achieve the fishable and swimmable" waters goal of the Clean Water Act.

Many aspects of the Clean Water Action Plan are encouraging. For example, the watershed-based approach to assessing and protecting water resources is an important step toward comprehensive and efficient use of conservation resources. In addition, the broad participation of citizens, industry, and local, state and Federal governments in the development of unified watershed assessments provides a model of how stakeholder collaboration can help define and solve challenging environmental dilemmas.

The State of Connecticut has made great strides in improving water quality since passage of Connecticut's Clean Water Act in 1968. The ongoing recovery and improvement of Long Island Sound is one great success story. However, Connecticut is experiencing an era of diminishing returns because many of its traditional programs have solved the most obvious water quality problems. We now must balance continuing needs of controlling point sources of pollution and improvements of wastewater infrastrucutre, with new programs that address runoff from more dispersed nonpoint sources.

One example of a straightforward problem that requires much more attention is the water quality impairment caused by combined sewer overflows. Combined sewer systems exist in many of Connecticut's older cities including Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, and Waterbury. Although the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and municipalities are making progress on this problem, a final solution will require much more time and money. It is important that we recognize that we cannot abandon our commitment to the ongoing efforts that have gotten us this far. Rather we must build on them and solve the remaining problems as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

Nine Federal agencies are, and should be, involved in the Clean Water Action Plan. For the Clean Water Action Plan to fulfill its promise, it is imperative that these Federal agencies are funded so that they can coordinate their efforts, fulfill their current obligations and meet their Clean Water Action Plan obligations in a timely manner. For example, the vitally important Connecticut DEP-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative stream gauging and monitoring program is in a sustained decline due to insufficient funding of the USGS stream gauging program. If we do not provide the funding so that agencies can make the Clean Water Action Plan a priority, we will be wasting an opportunity to take our water quality protection and enhancement efforts to the next level. In October of 1998, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) completed the Unified Watershed Assessments" of the State's surface water resources as required by the Clean Water Action Plan. In addition, Connecticut DEP developed a state watershed management implementation strategy launched pilot watershed management projects for the Quinnipiac, Naugatuck, Norwalk, and Sasco Creek watersheds. Implementation of the Clean Water Action Plan is underway and working in Connecticut.

Thanks to the hard work of many dedicated participants and the vision provided by the Clean Water Action Plan, our second generation of water quality improvement efforts hold great promise. I applaud the efforts that have been made so far and will work to help ensure that Congress makes the sustained investment necessary to put the Plan into practice.