Clean Water Act Permitting Basics

This lesson is an introduction to the types of Clean Water Act permits, the terms of a permit, and the effect of a permit. It can function either as an initial introduction to this subject or as a review of material covered in class.

However, this lesson will make more sense if the student is already familiar with the basics of Clean Water Act jurisdiction. It is therefore recommended that the student review Clean Water Act jurisdiction or complete the CALI lesson entitled "Clean Water Act Jurisdiction" before attempting this lesson.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Discuss the two ways in which a discharge of a pollutant falls within the prohibition of the Clean Water Act.
2. Identify the three Clean Water Act permitting programs and the sources of terms in the permits.
3. Analyze the protections that Clean Water Act permits give to the permittees.