Thirty-five years after the Clean Water Act, Hedrick Smith’s documentary assesses the state of America’s environmental protections and the impaired health of national waterways through the case study of Puget Sound. With a deep appreciation for the impact of water on our lives, its beauty and majesty, but also its increasing fragility, Smith shares his journey of discovery, showing just how far our environmental protections have fallen short, and exposes the new dangers of emerging contaminants being found in drinking water all across the country. Showing how grassroots citizen action has forced the EPA and big polluters into more effective cleanup operations or how collaborative work among native American tribes, farmers and developers has helped restore vital habitat and endangered species, Smith poses a challenge to the American public and policy- makers to become more forcefully engaged in protecting the vital and cherished American resource of water