Water Quality Planning in the Northeast and Midwest: The Section 208 Experience

摘要

Examination is made of institutional obstacles to water quality planning for urbanizing areas, based on the experiences of Section 208 planning programs conducted in fifteen States of the Northeast and Midwest U.S. The focus is on the institutional, rather than the technical, obstacles to plan implementation. These obstacles include inadequate recognition of water quality problems, difficulty in financing identified solutions, insufficient legal or regulatory authority, local resistance to water quality planning, lack of cooperation among local political units, and lack of cooperation among different government levels. Most of the information used was obtained through direct contact with individuals involved in preparing the Section 208 plans, with nine of the programs selected for on-site visits.