Help #SaveTheCleanWaterAct
The Trump Administration’s proposal to gut the Clean Water Act would seek to redefine Waters of the United States (WOTUS), significantly reducing the number of waterways protected under the Clean Water Act. Trump’s Dirty Water Rule would give free rein to polluters to dump chemicals or animal waste into small streams and wetlands. This proposed rollback on federal protections would destroy thousands of acres of wetlands and push imperiled species like our wild salmon and resident Orca closer to extinction.
The Clean Water Act is foundational to our work at Puget Soundkeeper and to environmental protections in the U.S., as it gives us legal standing to file citizens’ suits on your behalf to stop illegal pollution. Many waterways currently protected by the Clean Water Act would be left defenseless under Trump’s proposed Dirty Water Rule.
The Dirty Water Rule would remove protections for at least 18% of streams and at least 51% of wetlands in the United States – that’s nearly two million miles of the nation’s streams and 20 million acres of isolated wetlands. The Rule could strip protections entirely for groundwater, closed basin lakes, ditches, interstate waters, and ephemeral streams that only flow in direct response to precipitation.
In Washington, more than 2 Million Residents get their drinking water from ephemeral or intermittent streams.
This comes at a time when the nation’s waters are already imperiled.
In Washington State, over 2,400 water bodies are listed as impaired.
Of the 190,000 acres of shellfish areas of the Puget Sound, 36,000 acres are closed due to pollution.
Fish tissue samples throughout Washington included mercury, PCB’s, dioxins, flame retardants, and over a dozen chlorinated pesticides.
15 different salmon and steelhead stocks in Washington state are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act today, as are our Southern Resident Killer Whales.
Toxic pollution is a major threat to the survival of both our endangered salmon and orca.
We need more clean water protection, not less.
Join Puget Soundkeeper in Submitting Public Comment
Submit a comment today to tell the federal administration to withdraw this Dirty Water Rule, and protect our nation’s waters from pollution.
View Our Webinar Event that occurred on April 10th, 2019 at 12:00pm
Comments must be received on or before April 15, 2019.
Alongside other Waterkeeper groups and allies across the country, we are building the strongest possible case to defeat this misguided proposal before it is finalized.
Resources:
Factsheet: What will the Dirty Water Rule mean for our waterways?
Recent news:
Debunking the Trump Administration’s New Water Rule
New Mexico Leaving Suit Against Obama WOTUS Rule