A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Federal responsibility for stormwater pollution.
Became Public Law No: 111-378.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 49 · Public Law · Jan 4, 2011
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to provide that reasonable service charges applicable to federal entities for water pollution include any reasonable nondiscriminatory fee, charge, or assessment that is: (1) based on some fair approximation of the proportionate contribution of the property or facility to stormwater pollution; and (2) used to pay or reimburse the costs associated with any stormwater management program (whether associated with a separate storm sewer system or a system that manages a combination of stormwater and sanitary waste), including the full range of costs attributable to collecting stormwater, reducing pollutants in stormwater, and reducing the volume and rate of stormwater discharge, regardless of whether that charge is denominated a tax.
Limits payments of such charges so that: (1) they shall not be made using funds from any permanent authorization account in the Treasury; and (2) federal entities shall not be obligated to pay or reimburse any such charge, except to the extent and in an amount provided in advance by any appropriations Act to pay or reimburse the charge.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze S.3481 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine S.3481 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine S.3481 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine S.3481 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.