The Army Corps of Engineers administered the Act and initially focused on controlling debris that obstructed navigation.[2]: 3
Pollution control litigation in the 1960s
In the 1960s, due to increasing public and governmental concern about water pollution, the federal government began to use the Act to control pollution.[3] The government pursued court cases to prosecute dischargers of industrial waste to waterways. Notable cases include United States v. Republic Steel Corp. (1960) [4] and U.S. v. Standard Oil Co. (1966).[5]
1970 Discharge permit program
Executive Order creating a new permit program under the Refuse Act. The focus of the new permit program was on industrial pollution.[2]: 3–6 [6]
The Corps of Engineers began to issue the new discharge permits, but in 1971 a legal challenge halted the program.[7]
1972 FWPCA Amendments
Congress enacted major amendments to the FWPCA in 1972. (See
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
Congress did not repeal the Refuse Act. The law is still used by the Corps of Engineers to prevent obstructions to navigation. In some pollution enforcement cases, the federal government has used it as a supplemental authority along with the FWPCA.