Industry Fears Draft EPA Study Could Expand CWA Scrutiny Of Groundwater

摘要

EPA's draft study for determining whether smaller waters can be regulated due to their "connectivity" to downstream waters includes a focus on groundwater connections to surface water, driving industry fears that the agency may seek to expand its policy for using a groundwater nexus as the basis for regulating smaller, more isolated waters. One industry source says the language in the draft report could be especially helpful for EPA or environmentalists seeking to regulate discharges that may reach wetlands, which tend to be more "groundwater-driven systems" than streams or other waters.