This year, EPA, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is celebrating its 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act with the slogan “Water is worth it” and is inviting you to this exciting journey! People around the globe are able to participate in the conversation about clean water with activities, networking, news and information; all available in EPA’s webpage!

Why Water is Worth it? Back in 1972, this Agency pointed out the significance of protecting our most valuable and irreplaceable resource, by constituting the nation’s law, the Clean Water Act (CWA). The CWA set a new national goal “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters”, with interim goals that all waters be fishable and swimmable where possible. Eventually, all these years this landmark piece of legislation has allowed many highly polluted bodies of water in the U.S. to once again be clean and available for recreational activities.

All these years, many goals of the agency have been successfully reached in order to improve the water quality. Industries, local communities, citizens were complied with rules against water pollution. Indicative examples are the stricter pollutant controls, the protection of the wetlands by requiring “dredge and fill” permits, the establishment of a comprehensive program for controlling toxic pollutants and stormwater discharges etc.

And still there are many more goals to be set…

These 40 years of clean water are celebrated through the whole year with a number of activities. Since in our days many people are active with the social media, they are given the opportunity to get informed with news and information from EPA’s profile on Facebook and on Twitter. Also, EPA’s Watershed Academy is offering a number of free webcast seminars which are held throughout 2012. Poetry, photography, essay and dance contests are some of the activities some of you may have participated already.

Just choose what action suits you best and become an active member of this huge effort to preserve our most valuable source. Remember though, appreciate and protect it daily…not only this year!

As the Environmental Protection Agency supports and we all probably agree (I totally do!)… Water is worth it!

elen