As with many triumphs of liberalism, there isn't an effort to explain to people why the policy was implemented, and what it achieved. Water (and air) in much of the country used to be dirty. Really really dirty. A lot of those really dirty waterways are now somewhat less dirty, if not places you want to actually swim in or fish, and a lot more of the places that were somewhat dirty are now places people swim and fish in.
EPA was a good thing.
