Stakeholder Analysis
Yeager, C. (2024). Girl in Stream [Photograph]. Chesapeake Bay Foundation. https://www.cbf.org/blogs/save-the-bay/2024/05/marylands-future-depends-on-outdoor-learning.html
The benefits of the Clean Water Act (CWA) have been felt by many including the environment, communities, and commercial industries. While many benefit from the CWA, there are few key groups that are put at a disadvantage like developers, polluting industries, and underserved communities. Below you'll find a more in-depth exploration of key stakeholders.
Who Benefits from the Clean Water Act?
Public and Recreation
Cleaner waters have increased access to many waterways for both recreational and commercial purposes. Cleaner waters have befitted the public by protecting public health but also by increasing recreational opportunities (How the Clean Water Act Protects Your Rivers, n.d.). Cleaner waters mean that there is a smaller chance that people can get illnesses from the waters. It also means that waters that once were not swimmable, now are and that people can reap the benefits of water-based recreation.
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Local Communities
Local communities surrounding waterways also benefit from cleaner waters due to increased access to them, increased economic opportunities, and potential tourism benefits (Polak, 2023).
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State and Local Governments
State and local governments benefit from the regulatory framework provided by the CWA as well as through federal funding opportunities established by the Act.
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Environmental NGO's
Environmental NGO’s benefit from the Act by being able to fulfill their goals and mission but also by the funding and research opportunities the Act has led to.
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Certain Industries
Certain industries feel the benefits of the Clean Water Act. Fishing industries have benefitted economically (Polak, 2023) because reduction in pollution has led to healthier and more abundant fish populations (Clean Water Act, n.d.). Industries that are responsible for the installation and maintenance of water treatment infrastructure benefit from the CWA because they receive more business. Industries that create technology to meet CWA standards benefit from the added business.
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The Environment
Finally, wildlife and the environment benefit from the CWA due to improved water quality and health of ecosystems.
Who is Placed at a Disadvantage by the Clean Water Act?
Polluting Industries
Industries that discharge pollutants into water bodies need to install and maintain pollution control technologies while also adhering to stricter regulations that require necessary permitting.
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Developers
Developers are another key group that faces disadvantages from the Act. The CWA requires extensive permitting which can lead to delays in projects. Ensuring that the project doesn’t impact water quality might also lead to increased costs and timelines for the project (Quittner, 2014).
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Wastewater Treatment Facilities
Wastewater treatment facilities are also disadvantaged by the Act because they need to regularly upgrade their infrastructure to meet increasingly strict water quality standards (Dawkins, 2015). This can cost millions of dollars and improvements may be fractional (Dawkins, 2015).
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Property Owners
Property owners are also disadvantaged by the CWA because they may face land use restrictions, “expensive and time-consuming federal permits” (Champlin, 2017), and be required to adhere to certain requirements on their properties such as buffer zones. In Maryland, for example, properties located within the “Critical Area” (1,000 feet from a wetland), must implement a 100-foot buffer on the land “immediately adjacent to the waters” (Answers to General Questions about the Critical Area, n.d).
Underserved Communities
Benefits of the CWA have not been distributed equitably with inner city environments seeing a general decline in health during the last two decades under the Act (Cohn-Lee & Cameron, 1992).
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State, Local, and Municipal Governments
State, local, and municipal governments can be disadvantaged by the policy if they do not have the capacity to manage the requirements of the policy. Smaller municipalities might be overburdened by the policy especially if they are not receiving appropriate funds to carry out the requirements.
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Farmers
Farmers are another key group disadvantaged by the policy because they may need to implement practices on their farms to prevent runoff that they wouldn’t have to implement otherwise. This could take away from the time they have to farm or negatively affect their bottom line.
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Non-compliant Entities
Anyone who is non-compliant with the Act could face legal and financial penalties.