The Clean Water Act came to life the same year I did, kicking and screaming and full of promise. Now we're both turning 50 — me and the law formally known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972.
The half-century mark is a good time to take stock of one's performance, and it's fair to say that, like me, the Clean Water Act has some wrinkles and blemishes. As a longtime environmental journalist covering the Chesapeake Bay, I've seen the Act struggle as it reached middle age. At times, it hasn't been all it could be, or all it should be.
