User:Annaalbuquerque123/sandbox

The CWA created controversy shortly after its release date in 1972 because speculators questioned whether it was delivering the promised results of cleaner rivers and lakes. Some also questioned whether the benefits of the acts surpassed the price. The United States government has spent over one trillion dollars trying to combat water pollution. This hefty cost was due to the large promises made by the CWA. The goal was to ensure that all of the country's waters were free of pollutants by 1983, only eleven years after the act was passed. Prior to the CWA, most of the waterways in the states were so polluted that they began to ignite flames. However, the state of lakes and rivers all around the country have improved. Between the time frame of 1972 and 2001, there was a 12 percent increase in the number of waterways that are safe for fishing. Although, the data available for review is scarce, since only 19 percent of the United States’ waterways have been tested for contamination.

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These non-point sources are the reason for the delayed results from the CWA.