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Water policy

Science versus political realities

Nature Geoscience volume 10, pages 806–808 (2017)Cite this article

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Debate rages over which water bodies in the US are protected under federal law by the Clean Water Act. Science shows that isolated wetlands and headwater systems provide essential downstream services, but convincing politicians is another matter.

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Figure 1: Dry Creek in eastern Idaho, USA.

References

  1. The Clean Water Act 33 US C. § 1201.

  2. 33 US C. § 1362(14).

  3. Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. COE [2001]; 531 US 159.

  4. United States v. Rapanos 547 [2006]; US 715.

  5. 82 Fed. Reg. 12532 (6 March 2017).

  6. 80 Fed. Reg. 37054 (29 June 2015).

  7. Creed, I. F. et al. Nat. Geosci. 10, 809–805 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. 80 Fed. Reg. 2100 (15 January 2015).

  9. Hopkinson, J. Obama's water war. Politico (27 May 2015); http://go.nature.com/2wBgcvQ

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ryan & Kuehler PLLC, Winthrop, Washington, 98862, USA

    Mark A. Ryan

  2. University of Michigan,

    Mark A. Ryan

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  1. Mark A. Ryan
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Correspondence to Mark A. Ryan.

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Ryan, M. Science versus political realities. Nature Geosci 10, 806–808 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo3049

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