Lesson 9: Enforcing the Act

The Clean Water Act grants private citizens the right to take independent enforcement actions. Under the Clean Water Act, any person or entity that is or may be adversely affected may bring suit in federal court (a) against anyone who is in violation of permit limitations or discharging without a permit or (b) against the EPA for not performing a mandatory duty. These lawsuits are called “citizen enforcement actions” or “citizen suits.” In this lesson, you'll learn about when and how to use the citizen suit tool.

Local Story

An industrial success in Oregon

In 2004, members of the Northwest Environmental Defense Center were patrolling the Columbia River in kayaks when they witnessed murky, foul-smelling water pouring out of a pipe directly adjacent to a trash-hauling company.

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