New wastewater outreach materials from U.S. EPA. (Products & Services).

This year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act spurred the cleanup of many of the nation's rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. In the early 1970s, it was estimated that only one-third of the nation's waters were "healthy." Today, that figure has increased to approximately two-thirds.

Much of the success is due to a focus on upgrading and improving wastewater treatment systems. Since 1972, the nation has invested approximately $300 billion (in constant dollars) in building and upgrading wastewater systems. The Clean Water Act mandates that all publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities provide "secondary treatment" of wastewater. Today, nearly every wastewater facility in the nation meets this standard. Because of this immense effort, billions of pounds of pollutants have been prevented from entering the environment.

To celebrate these successes, U.S. EPA has developed a set of outreach materials that communities can use in educating their citizens on a variety of important wastewater issues. Materials include homeowner's guides on proper management of septic systems, an overview of how wastewater systems work, utility bill inserts for homeowners on sanitary sewers or septic systems, an educational poster with classroom activities, and information on accessing funding from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

The materials are available for download at http://www.epa.gov/water/yearofcleanwater. A CD that also includes helpful graphics can be ordered, and hard copies of individual products maybe requested while supplies last. Contact Nikos Singelis at [e-mail] or [phone] for more information or to order materials.