NWC submitted comments in response to the request of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for comments on a proposed rule defining the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act. The comments are summarized as follows:

  1. Applicable Supreme Court precedent counsels the Agencies to limit—not expand—CWA jurisdiction.
  2. The Agencies should remove speculative language regarding the availability of a water for navigation from the description of traditional navigable waters.
  3. The Agencies should clarify when jurisdiction over impoundments is relinquished.
  4. NWC supports the Agencies’ identification of tributaries.
  5. We generally support the Agencies’ proposals for ditches, and we also urge the Agencies (a) to exclude from § 404 regulation certain artificial features such as industrial canals, bypasses at hydroelectric reservoirs, and similar constructed facilities; (b) to affirm that WOTUS and point sources are distinct and mutually exclusive categories; and (c) to affirm that the burden is on the Agencies to demonstrate that an area is jurisdictional, particularly where the source of authority is historical or otherwise not immediately apparent.
  6. NWC supports the Agencies’ exercise of restraint as to particular features, namely, (a) groundwater, which has never been subject to CWA jurisdiction; (b) waste treatment systems, which have been excluded from jurisdiction since 1979; (c) agricultural lands, including prior converted cropland; and (d) artificial water features located in uplands.

The comments can be viewed here: NWC . EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149 . 15 Apr 2019 (248KB)