ACT NOW to tell EPA and the Army Corps to keep strong clean water protections in place.

Wetlands in the Waterloo State Recreation Area, Michigan | Tyler Butler

Oppose the Polluted Water Rule, Protect Clean Water and Healthy Rivers

ACT NOW to tell EPA and the Army Corps to keep strong clean water protections in place.

The EPA and the Army Corps have opened a public docket on the definition of the “Waters of the United States,” and powerful interests are pushing for further rollbacks. This new proposal would slash federal safeguards for critical waters, including headwater streams, wetlands, non-navigable interstate waters, and small lakes and ponds - all an integral part of drinking water sources for 117 million people. These waterways also play a major roll in reducing flooding, filtering pollution, supporting fish and wildlife, and sustaining healthy rivers.

The current rule, already amended in 2023 to comply with the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision, still meets the legal requirements while preserving federal protections for as many of these waters as possible. It cannot be weakened any further.

Further weakening of this rule means more polluted rivers, more flooding, and more costs for communities and water-dependent businesses. It’s time to speak up.

About You

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Address

City

State

Zip Code

Mobile Phone (optional)

By entering my mobile number and checking this box, I agree to receive recurring text messages from American Rivers. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel.

Personalize Your Letter

Acting Assistant Secretar

Robyn

Colosimo

EPA

Dear Administrator Zeldin and Acting Assistant Secretary Colosimo,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the Waters of the United States public docket. Clean water protections are essential to the health of our rivers, communities, and drinking water systems. All of our nation’s rivers rely on networks of small streams and wetlands, which play a vital role in protecting water quality, reducing flooding, and sustaining downstream ecosystems.

Scientific research is crystal clear: when small streams and wetlands are damaged or destroyed, the impacts cascade far downstream, degrading water quality, increasing flood risk, harming fish and wildlife habitat, and raising costs for communities that depend on clean, reliable water.

The current water rule, amended in 2023 to comply with the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision, already reflects the Court’s constraints while preserving protections for waters to the maximum extent legally allowable. Further rollbacks are unnecessary and would increase risks to public health and safety.

Proposals under consideration for 2025 would:
•	Remove interstate waters as a protected category
•	Exclude many intermittent and headwater streams
•	Sever protections for wetlands that do not physically touch other waters during the wet season
•	Expand exclusions for ditches and artificial drainage structures

These changes would leave vast areas of streams and wetlands unprotected, especially in states like New Mexico, where Sackett has already eliminated most federal coverage. Losing these protections opens the door to pollution, habitat destruction, and severe downstream consequences for rivers like the Rio Grande, Gila, San Juan, and Pecos.

For the sake of clean water, public health, and flood resilience, I urge you to retain the current water rule definition without further changes. Communities, landowners, and water-dependent businesses need consistency - not another seismic shift in federal water rules.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~Address}
{user_data~City}, {user_data~State}
{user_data~Zip Code}
{user_data~Email Address}

Subscribe to Emails

I would like to subscribe to all American Rivers emails.