Under the Clean Water Act, which of the following can be considered a 'Person'?

• A. An individual, corporation, partnership, association, state, municipality, commission
• B. Only individuals and corporations
• C. Only municipalities
• D. Any living creature

Answer: (A)

The term “person” in the Clean Water Act is broad to cover a wide range of actors who may have obligations, responsibilities, or liabilities under the statute. This means not just individuals, but also various non-natural entities like corporations, partnerships, associations, states, municipalities, and government-like bodies such as commissions or agencies or instrumentalities of the government. The option that includes an individual, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a state, a municipality, and a commission lines up with that broad definition, reflecting the Act’s intent to reach both private and public entities as responsible parties. The other choices are too narrow—restricting to living creatures, or to only individuals and corporations, or to only municipalities—thereby missing the diverse range of entities the Act contemplates.