According to the Surfrider Foundation:
The Dirty Water Rule is a radical reinterpretation of the Clean Water Act that will wipe out protections for streams that provide drinking water to tens of millions of people and wetlands that filter pollution and protect our communities from flooding.
We’re losing wetlands at an alarming rate across the country and it’s putting communities at risk. We’ve seen coastal communities truly suffer during flooding events after wetlands have been lost — as evidenced by the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Florence, and Michael. The problem will be exacerbated under this new Dirty Water Rule that strips protections from tens of millions of acres of wetlands that communities across the country rely on to absorb floodwaters and filter ground water.
No body of water should be open for pollution or destruction, but that is exactly what this proposal does by stripping Clean Water Act protections from critical streams and wetlands. The Dirty Water Rule makes no scientific, legal, public health, or fiscal sense. Wiping out clear Clean Water Act protections for important headwaters will put larger streams, wetlands, and lakes at risk of pollution and destruction.
After a delay due to the federal government shutdown, Dirty Water Rule is now on the docket for comments. Please consider adding your comments now at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149-0003.
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