TRENTON – In response to the finalization of the rolling back of key portions of the 2015 Waters of the United States Rule or the “Clean Water Rule,” the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed issued the following:
“The Administration’s cutbacks on the environmental protections afforded by the Waters of the United States Rule is the worst in the Clean Water Act’s history. Many streams, rivers, and approximately half of the nation’s wetlands will be left federally unprotected.
Protections for ephemeral streams, which flow only after rain or snow, will also be erased, though they account for 18% of streams in the United States. Though they flow only briefly, ephemeral streams can carry pollution downstream into larger water bodies, polluting wildlife habitat and drinking water sources.
As communities across the country, including those in the Delaware River Watershed, try to clean up polluted drinking water sources and maintain critical wetland habitat, now should be the time for the federal government to provide robust safeguards for our nation’s waterways,” stated Sandra Meola, director, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed.
