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Laws & Regulations

Existing Laws

The Clean Water Act

A great resource on the Clean Water Act is the River Network website, dedicated to the thousands of citizens who are working all around the country to keep our waters drinkable, swimmable and fishable. In a Foreword to The Clean Water Act: An Owner's Manual, former President and Nobel Laureate Jimmy Carter wrote: "For these individuals and groups, the Clean Water Act, which mandates the identification and protection of outstanding waters in each state, is one of the most important tools they will ever have."

Beyond the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act is not the only tool that can be used to restore and protect water bodies. The River Network website introduces and explains several other federal laws that citizens can use to help improve water quality and watershed health. These are summarized below for your convenience.

Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 was enacted in response to outbreaks of waterborne disease and increasing chemical contamination of public water sources

National Environment Policy Act of 1970

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 is the foundation of federal efforts to protect the environment. The Act requires all federal agencies to examine the need for, alternatives to and environmental consequences of all major proposed federal actions.

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Acto of 1986

Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) to help communities deal safely and effectively with the many hazardous substances that are used in their neighborhoods, towns and watersheds.

Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires the EPA to test, screen and regulate all chemicals produced or imported into the United States.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1947

Amended in 1972, 1988 and 1996, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) provides federal control over pesticide distribution, sale and use.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976

The Resource Conservation and Recovery act (RCRA) gave the EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from “cradle to grave.”

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (Superfund)

As designed, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) provided a federal “Superfund” to pay for the cleanup of uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites, as well as the cleanup of accidents, spills and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment.

Endangered Species Act of 1973

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found.

Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972

The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to preserve, protect, develop and where possible, restore and enhance the resources of coastal zones.

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968

In the 1960s, the country awoke to the fact that our rivers were being dammed, dredged, diked, diverted and degraded at an alarming rate. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act serves to protect designated free-flowing rivers that have “outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural and other similar values.”

Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill)

The 2002 Farm Bill increased spending for agricultural conservation programs by $9 billion, including incentives to help farms address environmental problems associated with farming. It increased funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to provide more than $1 billion per year for farmland and floodplain protection, grazing lands conservation, and wildlife habitat protection.

National Forest Management Act of 1976

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) is a cornerstone of environmental law intended to protect biodiversity in National Forests and to ensure public involvement in forest planning and management.

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was passed in order “to protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations,” among other things.

Electric Consumers Protection Act (ECPA) of 1986

This federal agency issues 30- to 50-year licenses that specify how dams are to be operated,what minimum levels of water must be allowed to flow through the dams, what forms of fish passage must be installed and, in some cases, how watershed lands are managed.

The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972

The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), also known as the Ocean Dumping Act, prohibits all ocean dumping without a permit in any ocean waters under U.S. jurisdiction by any U.S. ship or by any ship sailing from a U.S. port.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires federal agencies to ensure that no programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin.

Public Trust Doctrine

The Public Trust Doctrine is a common law doctrine. The legal right of the public to use certain lands and waters is the essence of the Doctrine.

Pending Laws

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Suits & Litigation

Riverkeeper Files Lawsuit Against Gravel Mining In Ukiah

Riverkeeper is concerned that the Ukiah Valley is now on the path to a future with more deep gravel pits, like Sonoma County’s Middle Reach, that will permanently destroy prime farmlands and create permanent impacts to the Russian River’s health and water quality and its native Steelhead that have been prized by generations of anglers. Open pit gravel mining transforms fertile farmland into a forever barren landscape pockmarked with deep stagnant pits that spew sediment into our already sediment-polluted Russian River in flood events. Read Press Release (PDF).