Hundreds of acts, regulations and policies have been created by federal, state and local government to help protect the environment. Regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Allegheny County Health Department are then authorized to create and enforce regulations that help to put the acts or laws into effect. The Clean Water Act (CWA), for example, was passed in 1972 to control water pollution throughout the U.S. It has been amended a number of times over the last 30 years, and many policies and regulations related to sewage overflows and other wet weather issues have been developed and implemented to guide the enforcement of the Act.