[21.1] Legislative antecedents are the enactments that constitute the historical legislative development of the statute or statutory provision being interpreted, such as repealed statutes and successive amendments to the statute made by the same Parliament. Antecedents may also include statutes made by other parliaments where it can be inferred that the statute being interpreted is derived from that other statute.

The amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 1972 represent a significant change in the balance between federal authority and states' rights in water quality policy. The 1972 legislation significantly increased the federal role in clean water, and substantially increased the federal budgetary commitment to water quality. Combined with a new regulatory framework, this legislation set the stage for the development of the Water Quality Act of 1987. The Water Quality Act signifies a substantive redefinition of the federal role in water quality policy. Through the development of a block grant program, the WQA shifted primary responsibility for the distribution of resources for clean water infrastructure to the states, while stating preferences for states to serve certain types of communities. This chapter details the development of the 1987 legislation, the forces that drove the changes in policy instruments, and discusses the modest changes to the program since its initial passage in 1987.

The history of water quality policy in the US is characterized by incremental changes in policy instruments over time. This chapter traces the origins of water quality policy in the US through the lens of a policy streams model. Beginning with the Refuse Act of 1899, the chapter traces the antecedents of the landmark Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948, and discusses the development of the expanding federal role in water pollution policy through the 1950s and 1960. The chapter discusses both the political forces that drove policy development, as well as the larger social and economic context that created a growing demand for national policy.