Water quality regulations

Abstract

Water is an essential component of everyday life. It is used not only for drink-ing, but also for irrigation, recreation, food preparation, and a habitat forplants and wildlife. Industry and human consumption have increasingly threatened the quality of waterways. For these reasons, it is important that water be protected from pollution both on the surface and through the soil. Policy has evolved from the late19th century and has since become an ever-expanding topic of regulation. Following is a summary of the most important regulations that have come to pass, beginning with a brief history and continuing through to present-day policy.