EPA WATERSHED ASSESSMENTS MAY AID IN FUTURE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS

Several EPA staffers say a new effort to assess the quality of the nation's watersheds may provide the enforcement office with a valuable new tool that will help the program target industrial dischargers for permit violations. State representatives argue, however, that the assessments lack national consistency and thus, should not be used in any enforcement effort. One official says states may decide not to provide EPA with water quality data should the agency chose to use the data to target...