waters of the u.s.

Forty-seven years ago on October 18, 1972, the Clean Water Act was signed into law, providing critical federal protections for waters across the United States. For years, unregulated pollution had turned our rivers into flowing dumps of flammable trash, chemicals, and debris. The Clean Water Act changed that by providing a national standard of protection for our waterways and giving any citizen the right to take legal action against polluters.

On September 12th 2019, after many months of threatening they would do so, the EPA rolled back protections for millions of acres of wetlands and waterways. The rollback redefines Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) and severely undercuts the number of waterways that receive protection under the Clean Water Act.

At least 60 percent of stream miles in the continental United States are no longer protected, opening the door for increased unregulated dumping of toxic waste and pollution in our waterways. Millions of acres of wetlands critical for habitat and flood mitigation are at risk. We can’t afford to lose these vital resources.

The power of the Clean Water Act was further undermined in May 2023, when the Supreme Court issued its decision in Sackett v. EPA. Read our response here.

We need a strong national clean water policy because all water is connected. What happens upstream ultimately flows downstream and affects us all. A clear, broad definition of Waters of the United States is critical to protecting the drinking water for millions of Americans, reducing the public’s exposure to toxic metals and pollution, and preventing the contamination of thousands of miles of vast, interconnected waterways across the country.