on Wastewater Treatment 000K76001 US. Environmental Protection Agency Rogion 5 Library (PL-124) 7 West Jackson Blvd, 12th Floor Chicago, IL 60604-3590nder the 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Public Law 92-500), thousands of ‘municipal waste treatment plants are being constructed or expanded across the Nation to control or prevent water pollution. The 1972 law authorizes grants totalling $18 billion to help towns and cities construct waste treatment facilities. The grants, which cover 75 percent of the cost of the facilites, were to be awarded by September, 1977, The law also established the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System which calls for limitations on the amount and quality of effluents and requires all municipal and industrial dischargers t0 obtain permits. The permits include effluent clean-up dates which are enforceable by State or Federal Government, Further, the new law sets this goal water clean enough for swimming, boating, and protection of fish, shellfish, and wildlife by 1983. Construction of the needed municipal treatment plants won't happen overnight. From drawing board to ‘operation takes time. But progress is being made, and more and more people are watching this progress. And they want to know more about wastewater treatment, ‘This primer explains the methods used now and processes being developed for the future to treat waste water discharges and to give the Nation clean water.