The Republican Congress of 1994 cast a sharp light on all Federal programs, including environmental expenditures such as the Clean Water Act, which is the most expensive. This book provides a detailed, scientific analysis of the impact of the Clean Water Act, demonstrates how the Act's goal of "fishable and swimmable" waters has been widely achieved throughout the country, and documents the local economic benefits derived from water quality improvements, using case studies from the Potomac Estuary and the Upper Mississippi River.