The long-term health of the ocean off the coast of Southern California, and the health of the region’s freshwater streams and rivers and lakes, soon could hinge on the Trump administration’s definition of a single word: ditch. The Environmental Protection Agency is in the midst of sorting out which of the “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS – the creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands, oceans, and, yes, in a few cases, ditches – should still be protected from pollution by the Clean Water Act of 1972. At least some of the proposed new rules could result in more pollution in Southern California’s vast network of paved flood control channels, which soon could be viewed by the federal government as “ephemeral ditches.” 

Other Clean Water Act news:

• The New York Times: Opinion: This is why our rivers are turning into sewers
• Kelley Drye & Warren: Blog: Updates to PFAS effluent limitation guidelines under the Clean Water Act