Career
Clean Water
for America
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Your
Career
and
Clean Water
for America
CWA-9 '
REVISED JULY 1969
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ON May 10, 1966, the Federal Water
Pollution Control Administration was
established in the Department of the In-
terior, Washington, D.C. The establish-
ment of this new front-line Federal
Agency represents the increasing deter-
mination of the people of the United
States that the growth of population,
cities, industry, agriculture, and recrea-
tion in this country shall never be in-
hibited by a shortage of clean water.
To accomplish this formidable task will
require the services of a great number of
talented professionals in many fields.
The professionals employed by the Ad-
ministration include:
engineers
chemists
biologists
bacteriologists
hydrologists
geologists
algologists
mathematicians
oceanographers
limnologists
soil scientists
epidemiologists
physicists
economists
planning specialists
electronics experts
computer and machine-
tabulating experts
technical writers
information specialists
statistical clerks
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If you are skilled in any of these fields
you will have the opportunity to play
a part in combating one of the most
pressing social and economic evils of our
time — the spread of water pollution
throughout the country.
You will be entering a relatively new
field which is expanding at an astonish-
ing rate.
You will be entering an area which will
afford you the opportunity to work in
your specialized discipline as part of a
team seeking to solve this many-faceted
national problem.
The diversity of talents needed illustrates
the realization that no single group of
people and no single method of abating
water pollution will suffice.
These are new realizations, based on new
conditions. Until recently, there seemed
to be plenty of clean water throughout
most of the country for all purposes, but
many things have occurred to destroy
this happy condition.
Since 1900 our population has tripled.
Our cities and metropolitan areas have
so spread out that the boundary of one
metropolitan area impinges on the out-
skirts of another; waste outfalls and wa-
ter intakes have become uncomfortably
close.
Total water use has increased eightfold,
from 40 billion to 325 billion gallons a
day. In our homes are multiple baths,
garbage grinders, home laundry units,
dishwashers, and more people using more
water in more ways than ever before.
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A fantastic growth in industry has in-
creased the amount and complexity of
the wastes going into our streams. In
some instances, treated effluents today
have polluting effects greater than the
raw sewage discharges of 30 years ago.
By using synthetic fertilizers and pesti-
cides, the farmer contributes greatly to
the complexity of our water pollution
problem.
The net result is that nearly six times as
much wastes are contributed to our
rivers, streams, lakes, and bays as there
was 60 years ago.
Even if, by some miracle, all communi-
ties and industries installed tomorrow the
best treatment we have — so-called sec-
ondary treatment — we would still need
to develop revolutionary processes to
cope with the amounts and kinds of
wastes that are spoiling our rivers.
Recreation-minded Americans, with
more leisure time and increased income,
use the Nation's shorelines, streams, lakes,
and rivers for swimming, fishing, water-
skiing, ad pleasure boating. Because of
pollution, the number of areas in which
to pursue these sports is decreasing, and
at least one aquatic sport — boating — is
contributing measurably to pollution.
The Federal program that has been de-
veloped to control water pollution con-
sists of six main elements.
AID TO COMMUNITIES. United States
cities are spending an average of $700
million annually on new, enlarged, or
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modernized treatment plants. To help,
the Federal Government can make
grants to communities of at least 30 per-
cent of the construction cost of a project.
And under certain conditions, the Fed-
eral share may be as much as 55 percent.
Legislation passed in 1965 also provides
$80 million to be spent over a four-year
period to find ways of combating pollu-
tion from stormwater that overflows.
carrying with it the wastes from streets
and sanitary sewers.
These programs offer sanitary, civil, and
construction engineers the opportunity
to review requests for Federal grants
that will help to construct, enlarge, or
modernize the waste treatment plants
so desperately needed throughout the
Nation.
ENFORCEMENT. Because water respects
no political boundaries, Federal law
enforcement is necessary. A poor neigh-
bor upstream can pollute and contami-
nate a river miles below. If pollution
from one State endangers the health or
welfare of people in another State, the
Federal Government must initiate en-
forcement action either upon State re-
quest or, in the absence of it, on its own
responsibility. Any Governor can re-
quest Federal enforcement assistance to
deal with pollution problems which are
completely within one State. Federal en-
forcement actions have now involved
more than 7,500 miles of rivers, 1,200
municipalities and a like number of in-
dustries.
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This Federal enforcement program re-
quires bacteriologists, biologists, chem-
ists, hydrologists, sanitary engineers,
limnologists, and numerous other ex-
perts who can document the evidences
of pollution, identify the types and
locate the sources. It also requires
specialists with legal background to pre-
pare and present the evidence necessary
to enforce the laws against pollution
and against infractions of water stand-
ards criteria.
RESEARCH. To find out what pollutants
are dangerous, how they can be kept out
of our waterways, and how to remove
them once they are in, much more re-
search is needed. Federal scientists are
even studying ways of renovating waste
water, of transforming it into pure clean
water again.
The program offers scientists the oppor-
tunity to do vital research in other chal-
lenging areas:
• Abating pollution caused by acid
mine drainage.
• Controlling pollution caused by irri-
gation return flows.
• Controlling pollution from storm and
combined sewer discharges.
• Retarding or reversing the premature
aging of our lakes, arising from over-
fertilization by man-made wastes.
• Preventing ground water pollution
caused by the intrusion of salt water.
Skilled sanitary engineers, chemists,
biologists, bacteriologists, hydrologists,
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geologists, algologists, oceanographers,
limnologists, soil scientists, epidemiol-
ogists and toxicologists are particularly
needed in these research areas.
CONDUCTING RIVER BASIN PROGRAMS.
Water uses and water pollution prob-
lems vary among different river basins.
This factor makes it necessary to develop
comprehensive programs for each river
basin. In nine major river basins the
Administration has established projects
that are seeking to preserve water quality
there not only for the present but for
years to come.
To the administrator, the planner, the
economist, and the computer expert,
this river basin program offers work in
the complex science of water manage-
ment, in the construction of mathemat-
ical models that can determine the best
approaches for curbing water pollution
over entire river basins, and in the use
of the latest methods of data collection
and retrieval.
ESTABLISHING WATER QUALITY STAND-
ARDS. This action makes it possible for
municipalities, industries, and other users
of water to know what their responsibil-
ities are for keeping clean waters clean,
and for restoring polluted waters to a rea-
sonable degree of purity. Standards are
set by the Federal Government only af-
ter the affected State or States have failed
to establish them, and after they and all
other affected interests have had full op-
portunity to be heard. When municipal,
industrial, or other wastes reduce the
quality of water below the adopted
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standards, the Federal Government can
enforce the abatement of such waste
discharges.
This is a new program for the Federal
Water Pollution Control Administration.
To conduct it properly, the Administra-
tion will need scientific and legal per-
sonnel, preferably expert in water
matters.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. Each year
hundreds of communities, industries,
State, and interstate agencies call upon
Federal scientists to provide them with
technical assistance to prevent or abate
pollution. To meet these demands, the
scientists engage in a wide variety of ac-
tivities, ranging from solving complicated
problems required for cleaning up tide-
water estuaries to determining the cause
of widespread fish kills.
The growing number of requests must
be matched by a growing number of
sanitary engineers and others skilled in
pure and applied science.
In sum, the number and variety of Fed-
eral activities for abating water pollution
hold great promise for the skilled man or
woman who is seeking room to grow pro-
fessionally, to expand his vision, and to
serve the public.
To each qualified individual, the pro-
grams offer, in addition, the opportunity
of being stationed in almost any area he
desires: In laboratories located on or
near college campuses in Massachusetts,
Alaska, Georgia, Michigan, Maryland,
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Oklahoma, Oregon, Minnesota, Rhode
Island, Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, and
Wisconsin; in research offices and head-
quarters of planning projects in 25
States; and in the Administration's na-
tional headquarters, Washington, B.C.
The original surge in the Federal pro--
gram for abating water pollution took
place from 1955 to 1965. During that
period, the operating budget increased
from less than $1 million to $140 million;
staff increased from 100 to 1,600. With
the establishment of the new Administra-
tion, future increases are likely to be of
the same magnitude. The opportunities
for promotion and worthwhile careers
are obvious.
How TO APPLY. Initially, you will need
to submit a completely filled out Ap-
plication for Federal Employment,
Standard Form 170. If immediate open-
ings exist for which your specific experi-
ence and training are appropriate, you
will be requested to complete a Person-
al Qualifications Statement, Standard
Form 171. In addition, if you have
not already obtained an eligible rating
from an appropriate Interagency Board
of U.S. Civil Service Examiners you
will be requested to complete Form CSC
226 (or submit complete college tran-
scripts) and card form CSC 5001.
The majority of career positions in the
FWCPA and other Federal agencies are
filled by applicants successfully rated and
certified by the U.S. Civil Service Com-
mission through its competitive merit
examination procedure. This rating of
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eligibility is based on an evaluation of
your total experience and education and
does not, in most cases, require a written
examination.
There are several ways for you to apply
to FWPCA and have your application
papers rated by the correct board of ex-
aminers. If you already have a Civil
Service announcement describing the
type of position for which you intend to
apply, you will find in it directions for
sending your application to the board
of examiners.
You may obtain announcements and
forms from any Civil Service office or
first- or second-class post office. If you
wish, you may write, enclosing your ap-
plication papers, to any one of our FW-
PCA regional offices, field laboratories or
installations, or to our Washington, D.C.
headquarters at the address below. You
may also write to that address for forms,
a directory of FWPCA regional offices
and field installations, and further details
regarding our career opportunities. If
you ask an FWPCA office to forward
your application to a board of examiners,
it will be helpful to enclose an extra ap-
plication for us to review while this is
being done. However you decide to
apply, you should notify the FWPCA
immediately upon receiving an eligible
rating.
Department of the Interior, FWPCA,
Division of Personnel Management,
Washington, D.C., 20242.
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FWPCA BENEFITS. Equal employment,
promotion, and training opportunity
without regard to race, creed, color, sex,
or national origin.
Challenging work of national impor-
tance.
Paid travel and transportation of house-
hold effects for appointee and depend-
ents to first duty station for most tech-
nical positions.
From 2/2- to 5-weeks annual vacation.
Thirteen days paid sick leave annually
with unlimited accumulation of unused
sick leave.
Eight paid holidays each year.
Outstanding Federal retirement plan.
Low-cost group life insurance and health
insurance plans, with the Government
sharing costs.
Cash awards for adopted suggestions or
superior work performances; extra salary
increases for outstanding performance.
Compensation for job-connected injuries.
Positive job protection if you are called
into military service.
Job stability.
Opportunity for college study with full
or part-time educational assistance (FW-
PCA installations are located at or very
near 64 colleges and universities through-
out the U.S.).
Periodic salary increases within each
grade level.
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Planned training program includes 6
months or more on-the-job training, lec-
tures, seminars, and field training assign-
ments.
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As the Nation's principal conservation
agency, the Department of the Interior has
basic responsibilities for water, fish, wildlife,
mineral, land, park, and recreational resources,
Indian and Territorial affairs are other major
concerns of America's "Department of Natural
Resources."
The Department works to assure the wisest
choice in managing all our resources so each
will make its full contribution to a better
United States — now and in the future.
* U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1969 O - 359-516
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