The clean water mess has been brewing for alot longer than Obama. Its origins begin in 1973, with congress passing an actual law. The next 30 plus years has been faceless beaurocrats making stuff up. To date, no president has bad the will or desire to stop it.
I think it actually started out as a good idea given the almost demise of the Bald Eagles and other types as well from DDT contamination. Maybe started to prevent industry from indiscriminately using chemicals that could really cause harm to our environment. But like most good ideas, some politicians (both brands) think the government needs to assume control all aspects of our lives because we are not capable of making good decisions.