Protecting the nation’s water

Protecting Midwestern streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act helps our communities and is vital to our health, safety, and quality of life.

Rivers in Missouri — like the Mississippi, Meramec, Missouri, Platte, Grand, Chariton, Osage, and St. Francis — along with their network of tributaries and wetlands, are important to water quality, recreation, wildlife habitat, flood abatement, and American agriculture.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have worked together to protect streams and wetlands that are scientifically shown to have the greatest impact on downstream water quality through a new Clean Water Rule.

Clean and reliable water is an economic driver for agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, recreation, and energy production.

Farms across America’s Heartland depend on water for livestock, crops, and irrigation.

We listened to the public, reviewed scientific data and made changes to the final rule as part of our commitment to getting it right.

The Clean Water Rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Visit www.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule to learn more about the final rule and the CWA.

Mark Hague

Acting Administrator

Region 7, EPA