The broader concern for NGWA members is what comes next.
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The rule currently still omits groundwater from the definition, largely excluding groundwater from federal regulations.
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NGWA has long advocated for this exclusion, actively lobbying the EPA and Congress to ensure state management of groundwater remains the standard.
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NGWA has long promoted a narrower definition of WOTUS and that groundwater management should largely be managed and regulated at the state level.
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Legislation makes permanent key exclusions clarifying that waste treatment systems, temporary streams from rain, and groundwater are not navigable waterways.
The EPA previously reevaluated the definition and rules governing WOTUS in 2015 and again in 2019.
The EPA previously reevaluated the definition and rules governing WOTUS in 2015 and again in 2019.
