… Ephemeral waterways are now under threat. A new rule proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration would strip Clean Water Act (CWA) protections from nearly all ephemeral waters in America. … Removing CWA protections will imperil Southwestern water as we know it. Ephemeral waterways make up 81 percent of all streams in the Southwest, supporting basins from the humblest pool to the grandest reservoir. In addition to fundamental drinking resource concerns, the proposed rule threatens our most special places. The crown jewels of Nevada nature, including Ash Meadows and Lake Tahoe, rely on ephemeral hydrologic networks.
–Written by Dexter Lim, a second-year Juris Doctor candidate at UC Berkeley; Mason Voehl, executive director of Amargosa Conservancy; and Olivia Tanager, director for the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Other Clean Water act news:

• California Water Views (Nossaman LLP): Blog: EPA proposes limitations to states’ Clean Water Act Section 401 permitting power
• Flow Water Advocates: Blog: EPA moves to redefine “Waters of the United States”