Save The River® Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper®

Save The River is a non-profit, member-based environmental organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the ecological integrity of the Upper St. Lawrence River through advocacy, education and research.

by

In this press release, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced intentions to change the definition of “waters of the United States,” in the 1972 Clean Water Act. This critical language protects rivers, streams, wetlands, and other waters from industrial pollution and development under federal law. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims previous definitions, “drove up the cost of doing business,” when referring to permitting regulations and costs.

Photo by Mary Jane Swan, titled Clean-Up Crew. Taken during the 1976 NEPCO Oil Spill cleanup.

Unfortunately, this view fails to acknowledge the state of US waterways prior to the Clean Water Act and the dire need for federal environmental protection. Rivers across the US were burning. This article in Popular Science highlights the worst of the pollution before the EPA was created.

The River community has had its own fair-share of environmental disasters thanks to poor management of pollutants. The 1976 NEPCO Oil Spill is still considered the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history. We will never forget it’s impact on the local environment and community.

Thanks to environmental policies, like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the intervention of agencies like the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, both the 1976 NEPCO Oil Spill and the Army Corps of Engineers attempt to expand Winter Navigation were resolved.

If a waterbody is not included in the Clean Water Act definition of “waters of the United States,” then industrial waste and municipal sewage (e.g. toxins, pathogens, carcinogens, and radioactive materials) can be dumped without treatment or pollution controls. This can contaminate drinking water supplies, kill fish and aquatic species, and make children sick when they go swimming.

A clear, broad regulatory definition of “waters of the United States” is critical for protecting our right to safe the drinking water, public health, and the preservation of the local ecology. Save The River believes all waterways should be federally protected, and that changes to this language will have detrimental effects to the St. Lawrence River, the watershed, and our drinking water.

Please take a moment to send a comment to the EPA explaining why we need to safeguard this vital language in the Clean Water Act. A pre-written, editable statement and submission portal is available here.

You can also leave a direct comment on the EPA’s website here. 

The deadline to leave a comment is April 23rd, 2025.