Clean Water Act Definition of "Waters of the United States"

This page is designed to provide updates and background information regarding the scope of "Waters of the United States" protected under the Clean Water Act.

EPA and the Corps of Engineers have jointly issued a legal memorandum that interprets the June 19, 2006 Supreme Court decision in the consolidated cases Rapanos v. U.S. and Carabell v. U.S. (known as the "Rapanos" decision). The guidance is being released to Corps of Engineers and EPA field offices to ensure nationwide predictability, reliability, and consistency in identifying wetlands, streams and rivers subject to the Clean Water Act (CWA). The EPA/Corps guidance reflects the agencies’ intent to provide maximum protection for the Nation's aquatic resources under the CWA as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Rapanos. To ensure such decisions are made in a timely manner, the agencies have released concurrently with the guidance a Memorandum of Agreement laying out a process with specific short timeframes, when necessary, for reaching interagency agreements on jurisdictional calls. In addition, a series of questions and answers provides additional information.

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Comments can be submitted to docket EPA-HQ-OW-2007-0282 through www.regulations.gov.

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Erosion Control, and Nanotechnologies (NT)

Erosion Control Forum – Information on erosion control devices and resources Skip to content Abstract Nanotechnology (NT) The National Nanotechnology Initiative defines nanotechnology as understanding and controlling matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Introduction Nanotechnology offers the potential to effectively treat contaminants in situ, avoiding excavation or the need to pump contaminated water out of the ground. The process begins with nanoparticles being injected into a contaminated aquifer via an injection well. Role of Nanotechnology Nanotechnology plays a crucial role in improving wind turbine performance...

Environmental Issues

Erosion Control Forum – Information on erosion control devices and resources Skip to content Bioventing Description Bioventing is an in situ remediation technology that uses microorganisms to biodegrade organic constituents adsorbed on soils in the unsaturated zone. Bioventing enhances the activity of indigenous bacteria and simulates the natural in situ biodegradation of hydrocarbons in soil by inducing air or oxygen flow into the unsaturated zone and, if necessary, by adding nutrients. During bioventing, oxygen may be supplied through direct air injection into residual contamination in soil. Bioventing primarily assists in the degradation of adsorbed fuel residuals, but also assists in the degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as vapors move slowly through biologically active...

Geogrid

Erosion Control Forum – Information on erosion control devices and resources Skip to content A geogrid is geosynthetic material used to reinforce soils and similar materials. Soils pull apart under tension. Compared to soil, geogrids are strong in tension. This fact allows them to transfer forces to a larger area of soil than would otherwise be the case.[citation needed]. Geogrids are commonly made of polymer materials, such as polyester, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene or polypropylene. They may be woven or knitted from yarns, heat-welded from strips of material, or produced by punching a regular pattern of holes in sheets of material, then stretched into a grid.Geogrid is typically used for soil reinforcement applications such as retaining walls, steepened slopes, embankments, sub-grade stabilization, embankments over soft ...

Ecological and Environmental Indicators

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