The Nation - News from Aug. 5, 1985

America’s streams became cleaner in 1983 and 1984 and the quality of lakes appeared to deteriorate during that period, according to a national water quality inventory prepared for Congress by the Environmental Protection Agency. Data gathered for the fifth state-by-state survey of its kind since 1976 indicated that of nearly 326,000 miles of rivers and streams surveyed in 40 states, 73% are clean enough for swimming and fishing, contrasted with 64% in the 1982 survey.