New Dirty Water Rule puts America’s drinking water and rivers at risk

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule that leaves half the nation’s wetlands and thousands of streams -- which help provide millions of Americans with drinking water -- without the federal protection of the Clean Water Act.

"Americans’ views on clean water are as clear as a mountain lake: they support strong federal protections to keep our water safe for drinking, swimming, fishing and sustaining nature. Yet this Dirty Water Rule will leave America’s waterways vulnerable to pollution and degradation, endangering drinking water sources for millions,” said John Rumpler, senior attorney for Environment America Research & Policy Center. “Polluted water can make anyone sick -- no matter where you live or your politics. This move defies common sense, sound science, and 50 years of bipartisan support for clean water."

From the Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound, streams and wetlands are crucial to the health of the nation’s most iconic waterways. Wetlands filter out pollutants, provide wildlife habitat, and protect communities by absorbing floodwaters. If streams are polluted, that pollution can flow into larger rivers and our drinking water. The Dirty Water Rule would wipe out protections for countless streams and wetlands -- a move that was recently rebuked by EPA’s own science advisors.  

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