Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:

Presentation by Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper Rachel Bartels and Great Rivers Environmental Law Center Staff Attorney Bob Menees

Rachel Bartels and and Bob Menees of Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper share the history of the Clean Water Act.

In October 1972, the U.S. passed the Clean Water Act. It was a game-changer for the waters of our country, for the first time making it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters without a permit. It empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce these new rules, gave the E.P.A. the ability to strengthen the rules as needed to protect the nation's waters and the mandate to work with states to punish polluters and solve emerging pollution problems.

But it takes an engaged citizenry to really make this work. The Waterkeeper movement is a crucial part of monitoring the health of our rivers, pushing our government agencies to punish polluters and working with communities to solve environmental and justice issues.

Several years ago, Rachel Bartels and Bob Menees started the Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper organization based in St. Louis, MO.

In this presentation, Rachel and Bob shared the impact and successes of the Clean Water Act as well as its shortcomings. Furthermore, they discussed what work is being done now to strengthen the law and guard against politically driven attacks on the powers that protect our rivers, wetlands, lakes, groundwater and coastal waters.