To: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Put Science First In Protecting Our Water (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2013-0582)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should continue protecting communities and their water sources using peer-reviewed scientific studies.
I urge the EPA to ensure that the Science Advisory Board Report "Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters" (docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2013-0582) accurately captures the functions of streams and wetlands in watersheds, and finalize this important science document quickly. The report's sound science and significant conclusions regarding the interconnectedness of streams and wetlands to downstream waters are vital to restoring protections to smaller waters that influence the health of ALL of our nation's water sources and drinking water supplies.
The EPA's connectivity report reinforces science that has been irrefutable for years: We must protect interconnected wetlands and headwater streams in our watersheds to protect the health of our larger waters downstream. When harmful toxins are permitted to enter wetlands and headwaters upstream, they impact aquatic life and water quality throughout the watershed.
I strongly support using this science report to strengthen protections under the Clean Water Act for "waters of the United States." The science makes clear that protections for streams, wetlands, and other water bodies, left vulnerable by previous administration policies, must be restored as quickly as possible.
Why is this important?
For years, deniers of sound science have rejected everything from global warming to pollutants in our waterways. This approach has led to a significant rollback in key clean water protections: more than 59 percent of U.S. streams and 20 million acres of wetlands are vulnerable to toxic dumping and pollution.
Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken steps to address this error by relying on sound science to help restore these key protections. The EPA needs to hear from you: speak out for sound science and clean water.
The EPA’s preliminary scientific report confirms that streams, wetlands, and floodplains—regardless of their size or how frequently they flow—are connected to downstream waters. The EPA must finalize this report and follow the science by restoring protections to waters that supply drinking water to 117 million Americans.
Simply put, we need stronger protections for these critical watersheds. Your ability to fish in, swim in, and drink clean water is at stake!
The Clean Water Act is our nation’s best guard against dirty and contaminated waters. Earthjustice has been working to defend and enforce the Clean Water Act for decades.
Please join us in urging the EPA to finalize its Science Report quickly; follow its conclusions regarding the importance of ALL streams, wetlands, and open waters to U.S. waterways; and apply sound science to restore protections to these critical and interconnected water bodies.