{"id":751,"date":"2019-02-27T15:06:53","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T20:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regionslead.org\/?p=751"},"modified":"2021-07-08T18:42:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T18:42:26","slug":"official-waters-of-the-united-states-proposal-released-comment-period-open-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/narc.org\/2019\/02\/27\/official-waters-of-the-united-states-proposal-released-comment-period-open-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Official Waters of the United States Proposal Released, Comment Period Open"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Environmental\nProtection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers have officially released a\nrevised definition of \u201cWaters of the United States\u201d (WOTUS) which determines\nthe scope of federal regulation under the Clean\nWater Act<\/em> (CWA). The comment period for the revision will be open until\nApril 15, 2019. The revised definition and comment submission information can\nbe accessed here<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would the redefinition do?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The redefinition\nwould create six categories of regulated waters and eleven categories of\nexempted waters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The six categories that would be regulated: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Traditional\nnavigable waters, including the territorial seas;
    1. The\npreviously separated categories of \u201cnavigable waters\u201d and \u201cterritorial seas\u201d\nwould be merged, but regulation of these waters would not be altered.<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
    2. Tributaries\nthat contribute perennial or intermittent flow to such waters;
      1. Tributaries\nwould not include any surface features that only flow as the result of\nprecipitation. Ephemeral flows like dry washes and arroyos would be excluded. <\/li><\/ol><\/li>
      2. Certain\nditches;
        1. Only\nditches that also satisfy the conditions of the tributary definition, and\nditches constructed in an adjacent wetland would be included. <\/li><\/ol><\/li>
        2. Certain\nlakes and ponds;
          1. Lakes\nand ponds that satisfy the conditions of traditional navigable waters would be\nincluded.<\/li><\/ol>
            1. Lakes\nand ponds that contribute a perennial or intermittent flow to other\njurisdictional waters would also be included.<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
            2. Impoundments\nof otherwise jurisdictional waters; and
              1. The\nredefinition would not alter the regulation of impoundments.<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
              2. Wetlands\nadjacent to other jurisdictional waters.
                1. Wetlands\nwould satisfy the requirement of adjacency if they \u201cabut\u201d or have a \u201cdirect\nhydrological surface connection\u201d with other jurisdictional waters.<\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  The eleven categories of waters that would be exempted:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  1. Waters\nor water features that are not identified in the six categories of regulated\nwaters.<\/li>
                  2. Groundwater,\nincluding groundwater drained through subsurface drainage systems.<\/li>
                  3. Ephemeral\nfeatures and diffuse stormwater run-off.<\/li>
                  4. Certain\nditches.<\/li>
                  5. Prior\nconverted cropland.<\/li>
                  6. Artificially\nirrigated areas that would revert to upland if artificial irrigation ceases. <\/li>
                  7. Certain\nartificial lakes and ponds constructed in upland.<\/li>
                  8. Certain\nwater-filled depressions created incidental to mining or construction activity\nand pits excavated for the purpose of obtaining fill, sand, or gravel. <\/li>
                  9. Stormwater\ncontrol features excavated or constructed in upland to convey, treat,\ninfiltrate, or store stormwater run-off.<\/li>
                  10. Wastewater\nrecycling structures constructed in upland. <\/li>
                  11. Waste\ntreatment systems.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    The background of WOTUS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                    The definitions of\n\u201cNavigable Waters\u201d and \u201cWaters of the United States\u201d have changed multiple\ntimes since the creation of the CWA in 1972. The most recent redefinition\noccurred in 2015 and expanded CWA scope, including increased jurisdiction\nregarding ephemeral water features and water features adjacent but lacking\ndirect hydrological connections to jurisdictional waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                    Source:<\/strong> Environmental Protection Agency<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Since its introduction, the 2015\ndefinition<\/a> has faced litigation regarding its validity under the\nConstitution and the CWA. As a result, the\nrule has been blocked in 28 States and is\ncurrently only recognized in 22 States, the District of Columbia, and\nU.S. Territories. In states where the 2015 rule is blocked, the EPA\u2019s\nless-inclusive 1988\ndefinition of \u201cWaters of the United States\u201d remains in effect.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    On February 28,\n2017, President Trump signed the Executive Order \u201cRestoring\nthe Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the `Waters of\nthe United States’ Rule<\/a><\/em>.<\/em>\u201d\nThis order began the process of developing the currently proposed redefinition.\nThe intention of this redefinition as stated in the Executive Order is \u201cto\nensure that the Nation\u2019s navigable waters are kept free from pollution, while\nat the same time promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty,\nand showing due regard for the roles of the Congress and the States under the\nConstitution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    The official\nrevised WOTUS definition was released on February 14, 2019 and the comment\nperiod on the rule will be open until April 15, 2019. The latest fact sheets,\ninfographics, supporting documents, information on the revision can be accessed\nhere<\/a> on the\nEPA\u2019s website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers have officially released a revised definition of \u201cWaters of the United States\u201d (WOTUS) which determines the scope of federal regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The comment period for the revision will be open until April 15, 2019. The revised definition and comment submission … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":67238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[45,6,138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-energy-environment","category-energy-environment-blog-2"],"yoast_head":"\nOfficial Waters of the United States Proposal Released, Comment Period Open - National Association of Regional Councils<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/narc.org\/2019\/02\/27\/official-waters-of-the-united-states-proposal-released-comment-period-open-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Official Waters of the United States Proposal Released, Comment Period Open - National Association of Regional Councils\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers have officially released a revised definition of \u201cWaters of the United States\u201d (WOTUS) which determines the scope of federal regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA). 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