PennEnvironment Clean Water Rule Press Conference

    On Monday June 1st, PennEnvironment held a press conference at the Fairmount water works to show approval of the new EPA Clean Water Act expansion, The clean Water Rule. The event was attended by representatives of PennEnvironment, The Philadelphia Water Department, Sierra Club, Mom’s Clean AirForce, and Thomas Jefferson University's School of Population Health. Jim Kenney attended and spoke at the event, showing his support for the Clean Water Act expansion. The Clean Water Rule does the following as described from the EPA website.

    - Clearly defines and protects tributaries that impact the health of downstream waters. The Clean Water Act protects navigable waterways and their tributaries. The rule says that a tributary must show physical features of flowing water – a bed, bank, and ordinary high water mark – to warrant protection. The rule provides protection for headwaters that have these features and science shows can have a significant connection to downstream waters.

 - Provides certainty in how far safeguards extend to nearby waters. The rule protects waters that are next to rivers and lakes and their tributaries because science shows that they impact downstream waters. The rule sets boundaries on covering nearby waters for the first time that are physical and measurable.

 - Protects the nation’s regional water treasures. Science shows that specific water features can function like a system and impact the health of downstream waters. The rule protects prairie potholes, Carolina and Delmarva bays, pocosins, western vernal pools in California, and Texas coastal prairie wetlands when they impact downstream waters.

 - Focuses on streams, not ditches. The rule limits protection to ditches that are constructed out of streams or function like streams and can carry pollution downstream. So ditches that are not constructed in streams and that flow only when it rains are not covered.
  - Maintains the status of waters within Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems. The rule does not change how those waters are treated and encourages the use of green infrastructure.
 - Reduces the use of case-specific analysis of waters. Previously, almost any water could be put through a lengthy case-specific analysis, even if it would not be subject to the Clean Water Act. The rule significantly limits the use of case-specific analysis by creating clarity and certainty on protected waters and limiting the number of similarly situated water features.”

Although it was a cloudy morning with the threat of rain, people came to the Press Conference to show support. It was an informative Press Conference with an appropriate setting right alongside the Schuylkill River. Under the gray skies, the future for our waterways looks bright, as we continue to fight for their protection!

Coverage By The Press and On the Internet

• Kenney joins environmentalists to celebrate bolstered Clean Water Act   
• The Clean Water Rule: What Does It Mean for Philly?