grants for research concerning storm sewers and combined sewers from 50 to 75 percent of the estimated reasonable cost; (b) eliminating the 5-percent (or $1 million) limit; and (c) deleting the language limiting total expenditures under contracts to 25 percent of the fiscal year appropriations for that purpose.

The same section of the 1966 Clean Water Restoration Act also authorized two new categories of grants: (1) for development of projects to demonstrate advanced waste treatment methods, or new or improved methods of joint treatment systems for municipal and industrial wastes; and (2) for research and demonstration projects. to prevent water pollution by industry, including treatment of industrial wastes. In addition, it extended the appropriations authorization of the $20 million per year for fiscal years 1966 through 1969 (previously provided for research on storm sewers and combined sewers) to include also these new categories of projects.

It also authorized additional appropriations of $20 million per year for fiscal years 1967, 1968, 1969 for advanced waste treatment and joint municipal-industrial treatment projects; and $20 million per year for fiscal years 1967, 1968, 1969 for industrial waste treatment projects.

However, Congress appropriated less than the full amounts authorized for these purposes. The disparity between authorizations and appropriations of funds is reflected in the following table:

TABLE A. SUMMARY OF ALL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION ON WATER POLLUTION CONTROL UNDER SECTIONS 5 & 6, FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT

1 The fiscal year 1966 authorizations were limited to sec. 5(d), which authorized research on treating municipal sewage and other waterborne wastes, identification of pollution effects, and evaluation of streamflow to control water pollution. * The appropriations fortfiscal years 1966 and 1967 covered all activities under Sec. 5, including research, investigations training, information, training and demonstration grants, basic data studies, etc.

3 The authorizations for fiscal year 1967, 1968, and 1969 included research under sec. 5(d) and $1,000,000 each year for study of pollution in estuaries under sec. 5(g). To Dec. 1, 1968.

RESEARCH ON STORM AND COMBINED SEWERS (Recommendation 6):

The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare should expand and intensify its studies of pollution from combined sewers and storm drains and from urban and suburban land drainage, and should test the merits of proposed solutions in all areas where such pollution causes a significant portion of the

area's water pollution. In addition, the Federal Government should provide grants to those municipalities which establish demonstration projects approved by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to test the feasibility of new or improved methods for controlling the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated sewage from combined sewer systems. Such demonstration project grants should not exceed 50 percent of the reasonable cost of the project, as determined by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Results. The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, which was transferred from HEW to the Department of the Interior in May 1966, began intensive search for solutions to the problems of pollution from storm sewers and combined storm and sanitary sewers following the enactment of the Water Quality Act of 1965, which authorized a program of grants and contracts for this purpose. The legislative changes made by the Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966 are discussed under results of recommendation 5.

Nine research projects on storm and combined sewers have been completed. All of them were contract projects, ranging from early feasibility investigations of new control or treatment methods to in-depth studies of complex combined sewer problems, with recommendations for corrective action. Several projects are nearing completion, which, FWPCA states, indicate that storm water or combined sewer problems can be dealt with, at least partially, by other methods besides separation of storm sewers and sanitary sewers.

The demonstration grants have been utilized to support projects which will demonstrate control and/or treatment methods at full scale. Therefore, they involve in-depth engineering studies and planning prior to construction of facilities. Construction has been completed, or is nearing completion, on several major projects, which are now entering the evaluation phase. FWPCA states that evaluation for each project will continue for about a year in order to gain enough operating experience and data to support conclusions relating to the applicability of the method demonstrated; and that the first grant project evaluations will be available about July 1969.

FWPCA's expenditures and allocations of funds for research on storm sewers and combined sewers are set forth under results of recommendation 5, above.

WASTE DISPOSAL PLANNING ASSISTANCE TO METROPOLITAN AREAS (Recommendation 7):

The problems of waste disposal in metropolitan areas must receive increasing attention and consideration by Congress and all Federal, State, and local agencies, and all feasible steps should be taken to assist the communities in metropolitan areas to coordinate their planning effectively for the efficient disposal of waste waters originating in the metropolitan complex. Results. As stated under the results of recommendation 3 above, the Water Quality Act of 1965 authorized an extra 10 percent for any

construction grant for waste treatment facilities certified as being in conformity with the comprehensive plan for the metropolitan area. At every level of government there is increasing awareness that the problems of sewage disposal can best be dealt with on a metropolitan area basis, as is being done in Seattle, Chicago, and so forth. One example of Federal efforts to aid such metropolitan approaches was the establishment in 1965 of an interagency committee to coordinate work on the various grant programs in several agencies which aid water and sewer development in metropolitan areas. The interagency committee has helped develop a standard preliminary inquiry form for use by potential grant applicants, and has established an interagency referral system for FWPCA, Farmers Home Administration, Economic Development Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Thus, an application filed with any of the agencies will be routed to the proper agency. The interagency committee has also simplified contract and application forms, and has developed procedural shortcuts to expedite processing of applications.

STRENGTHEN HHFA ROLE IN MUNICIPAL SEWAGE CONTROL (Recommendation 8):

The committee believes that the ability of the Housing and Home Finance Agency to assist in the control and abatement of municipal sewage should be strengthened and therefore recommends to the appropriate committees that the law be amended (a) to eliminate the present limitation which, with minor exceptions, prohibits communities of 50,000 or more population from qualifying for sewer and water project loans under the public facility loan program, and (b) to permit greater flexibility by HHFA in authorizing deferral of payment of interest and principal on public facility loans when necessary to facilitate construction of projects planned to meet future needs of growing communities.

Results. (a) The population limitation has not yet been eliminated. However, further exceptions have been made: The Housing and Urban Development Act of August 10, 1965 (Public Law 89–117, sec. 1107(b), 79 Stat. 451, 503, 42 U.S.C. 1492(b) (4)), removed all population limits for communities in or near which is located a research or development installation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The population limit was also removed for certain new communities by the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of November 3, 1966 (Public Law 89-754, sec. 407, 80 Stat. 1255, 1273), and by the Housing and Urban Development Act of August 1, 1968 (Public Law 90-448, sec. 416(a), 82 Stat. 476, 518).

(b) The provisions of law (42 U.S.C. 1492(b) (2)) permitting partial deferral of interest (but no deferral of principal repayment) on public facility loans have not yet been modified.

[H. Rept. 555, 89th Cong., first sess.]

DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES BY FEDERAL INSTALLATIONS (WATER POLLUTION CONTROL AND ABATEMENT)

Fifteenth Report by the Committee on Government Operations

(Submitted to the Speaker June 29, 1965)

This report is a detailed survey of the waste disposal practices of 963 Federal installations under the jurisdiction of 18 Government agencies as of December 31, 1964. The report examined their progress in water pollution control and abatement during the preceding 4 years. The installations surveyed were those which, according to a survey made as of December 31, 1960, by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, discharged to surface waters or to the ground 3,000 gallons or more per day of untreated sewage or untreated industrial wastes (excluding cooling waters), or nonwaterborne wastes of 200 or more persons per day, or which had received notification from a Government agency that a pollution condition existed.

RECOMMENDATIONS

ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICY ON WATER POLLUTION (Recommendation 1):

The policy of the Federal Government requires every Federal installation to (a) control its waste discharges to prevent and abate pollution of surface and ground waters, (b) provide leadership inspiring others to eliminate water pollution, and (c) cooperate with State, interstate, and local agencies, as well as with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This mandate should be followed and enforced.

Results. On November 17, 1965, the President issued Executive Order No. 11258 entitled "Prevention, Control, and Abatement of Water Pollution by Federal Activities," which incorporated many of the recommendations made by the committee in the 1961-64 survey report. Subsequently the Budget Bureau and the agencies issued implementing regulations to carry out the policy that the Federal Government must exercise leadership in the Nation's water pollution cleanup program by abating water pollution at its own installations. After Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1966 (H. Doc. 388, 89th Cong.) transferred the Federal Government's water pollution control functions (with the exception of certain public health aspects of water pollution) from HEW to the Department of the Interior, effective May 10, 1966, the President issued a revised Executive order (No. 11288, July 2, 1966; 31 F.R. 9261) to reflect that reorganization. The agencies are endeavoring, with varying degrees of success, to accomplish the control and abatement of water pollution caused by their installations, on the basis of 5-year plans, and within the scope of available appropriations.

TRANSFER OF PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITY TO NEW AGENCY (Recommendation 2):

Responsibility for coordinating and developing the program of waste water pollution abatement for Federal agencies under section 9 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which is now lodged in the Public Health Service, should be transferred from the Public Health Service to a new agency as contemplated in S. 4 which has been passed by both the House and the Senate. Results. On October 2, 1965, the President signed the Water Quality Act of 1965 which established the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration and transferred to it the water pollution control functions previously delegated to the Public Health Service.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFIED PERSONNEL (Recommendation 3):

More and better qualified personnel should be made available to PHS to enable it to properly accomplish its water pollution control mission with respect to Federal installations.

Results. The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, to which the water pollution control functions of PHS were transferred by the Water Quality Act of 1965, established a Division of Federal Activities Coordination to give guidance to and assist the agencies in their programs of controlling and abating water pollution at Federal installations. As of July 1, 1968, the Division's Washington headquarters had 13 authorized positions (10 professional and three clerical), but its staff consisted of only five professionals and one clerical. Each of its nine regional offices and the laboratory in College, Alaska, had a staff of between three and six persons. The lagging work of FWPCA's Division of Federal Activities Coordination demonstrates that it still needs "more and better qualified personnel” in order to effectively perform its mission.

ACCELERATION OF CORRECTIVE MEASURES (Recommendation 4):

All Federal agencies, in cooperation with the PHS, should accelerate the pace of corrective measures to eliminate water pollution.

Results. The committee's report entitled "1965 Survey on Disposal of Sewage and Industrial Wastes by Federal Installations" (H. Rept. 1644, 89th Cong., second sess.-noted below) showed that all but two of the 68 installations listed as having taken no cleanup action as of December 31, 1964, had taken some action in the following year (one of the two was scheduled for deactivation); 24 of the 94 installations listed as taking steps toward control of pollution in 1964 had completed remedial action in 1965 and an additional six of the 94 were deactivated or scheduled for early deactivation; 48 installations reported in 1964 as having no pollution problem developed one in 1965. All but 12, which were deactivated or scheduled for early deactivation, took measures to solve their problems.