Considers S. 3958, a bill to prevent the pollution of the navigable waters of the United States, and for other purposes; S. 3959, a bill to amend section 13 of the act of March 3, 1899, relating to the deposit of refuse in the navigable waters of the United States, and section 3 of the oil pollution act, 1924; S. 4342 and S. 4627, bills to create a division of stream pollution control in the Bureau of the Public Health Service, and for other purposes.

The environmental nightmare of monumental oil spills in the Persian Gulf make publication of this new edition especially timely. Numerous revisions by this well-known consultant and author on water pollution bring this popular title in line with current trends and needs relevant to pollution of streams, lakes, estuaries, and oceans. State stream water quality standards have been updated, with the latest legislation and EPA standards clearly explained. New information has been added on beach pollution, as well as viruses and their occurrence and passage through polluted water. Expanded coverage of stream pollution models such as the automated Calibration Knowledge Engineering System (KES) helps users assess water quality more efficiently. Ready-to-use mathematical and computer models, cleaning and disposal methods, and other guidelines offer additional on-the-job help.

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.