Title 33Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§1315 State reports on water quality

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 26— - WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - STANDARDS AND ENFORCEMENT › § 1315

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each State must prepare and send a water-quality report to the Administrator by April 1, 1975, update it by April 1, 1976, and then update and submit reports every two years. The report must describe the water quality of all navigable waters for the past year (including seasonal and tidal changes), evaluate whether waters support healthy populations of shellfish, fish, and wildlife and safe recreation, explain how ending pollutant discharges and meeting the law’s water-quality goals will be or have been achieved and what extra actions are needed (and where), estimate the environmental effects, the economic and social costs and benefits, and a likely date of achievement, and describe nonpoint pollution sources with suggested control programs and cost estimates. The Administrator must send the State reports and an analysis of them to Congress by October 1, 1975; October 1, 1976; and every two years after that.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §1315

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Omitted.
(b)(1)Each State shall prepare and submit to the Administrator by April 1, 1975, and shall bring up to date by April 1, 1976, and biennially thereafter, a report which shall include—
(A)a description of the water quality of all navigable waters in such State during the preceding year, with appropriate supplemental descriptions as shall be required to take into account seasonal, tidal, and other variations, correlated with the quality of water required by the objective of this chapter (as identified by the Administrator pursuant to criteria published under section 1314(a) of this title) and the water quality described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph;
(B)an analysis of the extent to which all navigable waters of such State provide for the protection and propagation of a balanced population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife, and allow recreational activities in and on the water;
(C)an analysis of the extent to which the elimination of the discharge of pollutants and a level of water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of a balanced population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife and allows recreational activities in and on the water, have been or will be achieved by the requirements of this chapter, together with recommendations as to additional action necessary to achieve such objectives and for what waters such additional action is necessary;
(D)an estimate of (i) the environmental impact, (ii) the economic and social costs necessary to achieve the objective of this chapter in such State, (iii) the economic and social benefits of such achievement, and (iv) an estimate of the date of such achievement; and
(E)a description of the nature and extent of nonpoint sources of pollutants, and recommendations as to the programs which must be undertaken to control each category of such sources, including an estimate of the costs of implementing such programs.
(2)The Administrator shall transmit such State reports, together with an analysis thereof, to Congress on or before October 1, 1975, and October 1, 1976, and biennially thereafter.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Subsec. (a) authorized the Administrator, in cooperation with the States and Federal agencies, to prepare a report describing the specific quality, during 1973, of all navigable waters and waters of the contiguous zone, including an inventory of all point sources of discharge of pollutants into these waters, and identifying those navigable waters capable of supporting fish and wildlife populations and allowing recreational activities, those which could reasonably be expected to attain this level by 1977 or 1983, and those which could attain this level sooner, and submit this report to Congress on or before Jan. 1, 1974.

Amendments

1977—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 95–217, § 52(1), substituted “
April 1, 1975, and shall bring up to date by
April 1, 1976, and biennially thereafter” for “
January 1, 1975, and shall bring up to date each year thereafter” in provisions preceding subpar. (A). Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 95–217, § 52(2), substituted “on or before
October 1, 1975, and
October 1, 1976, and biennially thereafter” for “on or before
October 1, 1975, and annually thereafter”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 1315

Title 33Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73