Reports highlight threats to wetlands and waterfowl habitat
Several new reports, compiled by Ducks Unlimited and partners, shows threats to wetlands that are no longer covered by the Clean Water Act. Studies were conducted in Tennessee and Colorado, as well as other states, that idenitfy threatened bodies of water that could be drained, polluted, or destroyed. These areas are vital not just for waterfowl and wildlife, but also for clean drinking water as well.
Read the reports here:
EPA publishes map of threatened wetlands
The Environmental Protection Agency recently published maps identifying where threatened surface water sources are located. These areas were once protected under the Clean Water Act, however they have lost their protections and could be polluted, drained, or destroyed - and threaten millions of American's drinking water as a result.
Visit the EPA website to find if your drinking water is at risk: EPA Surface Drinking Water Map.
WETLAND PROTECTION BY THE NUMBERS
- 98%: Percentage of waters of the United States not truly navigable as defined by the most recent CWA guidance
- 2: The number of 500-year floods in the last 15 years in the Midwest; loss of wetlands only makes these types of floods more common
- 500: The approximate number of EPA enforcement cases since July 2006 negatively affected by the confusion surrounding the current CWA guidance
- 50%-90%: The number of prairie potholes in some areas that have already been lost or severely degraded
- 80,000: The number of acres of wetlands the United States continues to lose every year
- 470: Tons, in millions, of soil lost in the most recent floods; taxpayers will foot the bill to dredge soil and sediment from river systems
Support for Clean Water
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Ray McCormick, a farmer from Indiana, discusses the importance of clean water to him and his operation. This interview was conducted at the Sportsmen's Clean Water Summit in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 14-16, 2011.
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