The Clean Streams Law was created in 1937 to regulate the
discharge of sewage, industrial waste or any substance, which
causes or contributes to pollution, into the waters of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The law was amended several times,
including in the 1960s to add water quality standards. In the
late 1970s and 1980, the Clean Streams law was amended to align
its requirements more closely with the federal Clean Water Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has delegated
authority in Pennsylvania to the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) to enforce Clean Water Act requirements,
including the issuance of National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination Systems (NPDES) permits and the enforcement of
water-related environmental regulations. The DEP accomplishes
this goal through the Clean Streams Law and enforcement of the
Combined Sewer Overflow Policy guidelines. Under the law, if the
DEP finds that the “acquisition, construction, repair,
alteration, completion, extension or operation of a sewe