The Environmental Law Institute recently concluded an eight-month study of enforcement under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 for the National Commission on Water Quality. The Institute's report was part of the Commission's effort under §315 of the Act to review issues related to the Act's implementation;¹ a draft Commission report to Congress is expected this fall.

Institute staff visited eight states selected by the Commission and their respective Environmental Protection Agency regional offices in order to analyze the Act's progress. Project staff interviewed numerous representatives of state and federal water quality agencies and enforcement offices, public and private-sector dischargers, and citizen groups in each of the eight states, as well as the Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, and Office of Management and Budget in Washington.

The summary of the Institute's findings and recommendations that follows is based on the Executive Summary to the report. Requests for copies of the full report should be directed to the National Commission on Water Quality, 1111 18th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.