In January 2020 the USEPA and Army Corps issued its Navigable Water Protections Rule, which revised the definition of waters of the United States, obscuring which streams and wetlands warrant federal protections. This ‘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. By stripping Clean Water Act protections from critical streams and wetlands across the country, the Dirty Water Rule opens up countless bodies of water in every state to pollution and destruction. The Dirty Water Rule makes no scientific, legal, public health, or fiscal sense.
Streams and wetlands work as natural filters and sponges—keeping our drinking water supplies safe while reducing the impact of floods. Access to safe drinking water is a prerequisite for healthy, thriving communities, where everyone can participate, prosper and reach their full potential. The Dirty Water Rule puts water at risk for too many Ohio communities by removing protections for streams and wetlands across the nation. The Ohio EPA has issued a webinar this Thursday, May 7th explaining how this will change general permits in Ohio. You can attend this webinar by following the link posted below.
The Ohio EPA will then release changes to the new general permits at which time the public will have 30 days to make public comments with a deadline of June 22nd, which coincides with the US EPA role out. Check back here for Sierra Club Ohio Chapter’s comments on this critical issue.
Register here for the Ohio EPA Webinar on May 7th at 3pm.
Attended this webinar and have critical questions you feel need addressed? Please email Emily Obringer at emily.obringer@sierraclub.org with questions to be brought to the attention of the Ohio EPA. We want to hear from you!