"October 18, 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the nation's law for protecting our most irreplaceable resource. Every person deserves clean water - it is vital for our health, communities, environment and economy. We have made great progress in reducing pollution during the past 40 years. But many challenges remain and we must work together to protect clean water for our families and future generations. Everyone has an impact on the water and we are all responsible for making a difference. Water is worth it." from the EPA website at http://water.epa.gov/action/cleanwater40/