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As early as 1867, bills were introduced in Congress to encourage irrigation and reclamation of unproductive land and, in 1877, the Desert Land Act linked irrigation to grants of public land. Congress also authorized studies of the Westâs geology and water supply, which culminated in comprehensive reports.
In 1985, Congress passed the 1985 Food Security Act (Swampbuster Act). This was intended to solve some problems that had arisen in applying the Clean Water Act to agricultural land. A highlight of this act was that it attempted to craft a more precise definition of âwetlandâ that could be used in the field.n 1976, Congress enacted the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). This act regulated the introduction of new chemicals into the marketplace. Most existing chemicals were grandfathered (PCBs were an exception) and placed on a list called the TSCA Inventory.