On May 27, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers issued new Clean Water rules that restore long-standing protections to headwater streams and adjacent wetlands under the Clean Water Act. The rules are a balanced package that maintains long-standing Clean Water Act exemptions for standard farming practices, while clarifying that the Act's protections extend to the tributary streams and wetlands that shape the quality and health of downstream rivers. These waters were historically protected under the Clean Water Act until two politically charged Supreme Court decisions in the 2000s put them into regulatory limbo. The court ruled that there must be a proven nexus between these small, sometimes-intermittent waters and the larger rivers they feed in order for the former to receive Clean Water Act protections. Armed with the science that proves such a connection, the EPA and the Corps crafted this rule that protects the clean water sources of America’s rivers. Unfortunately, some in Congress are pushing to block the rules from being implemented. Legislation to do just that has passed the House and will be considered in the Senate, and other amendments to block the rules will likely be proposed in the coming weeks and months. Please take a moment to weigh in with your Representative and Senators Bennet and Gardner, and ask them to support the Clean Water Rules and protect Colorado's headwater streams!
