|  | Wetlands                                        Recent Additions | Contact Us |                                                                                 Print Version                                                                                 Search:                                                                                 EPA Home> Water> Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds                    > Wetlands                    >                     Wetlands Fact Sheet  > Section 404 :Program Questions                    and Overview                    Laws, Regulations,          Guidance, and          Scientific DocumentsState, Tribal, and          Local InitiativesLandownersWater Quality and          401 CertificationMonitoring and          AssessmentWetlands and          WatershedsRestorationEducationIn Your Area
 
        Section 404 of Clean Water Act: Program Questions and OverviewWas Section 404 Program Intended to Regulate Wetlands?
Questions about which and how wetlands are regulated have been widely        discussed and debated over the years. This fact sheet explains what the        U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court have        said about these topics.
Section 404 Program History
In 1972, Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments,        also known as the Clean Water Act, "to restore and maintain the chemical,        physical, and biological integrity" of the Nation's waters. The        Act defined "navigable waters" as "waters of the United        States." The legislative history made plain that Congress intended        the broadest possible Federal jurisdiction, expanding beyond traditionally        navigable waters.

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act established a permit program regarding        discharges of dredged and fill material. In 1974, when the Corps issued        regulations to implement the Section 404 program, they limited the program's        jurisdiction to traditionally navigable waters, including adjacent wetlands,        excluding many small waterways and most wetlands.

In 1975, a Federal district court directed the Corps to revise and expand        its regulations to be consistent with Congressional intent. In response,        the Corps issued interim final regulations to include waters that are        not adjacent to navigable waters ("isolated waters") in the        program's jurisdiction.

In 1977, the Corps issued final regulations and explicitly included "isolated        wetlands and lakes, intermittent streams, prairie potholes, and other        waters that are not part of a tributary system to interstate waters or        to navigable waters of the United States, the degradation or destruction        of which could affect interstate commerce." The definition promulgated        in 1977 is substantially the same as the one in effect today.
What Has Congress Said?
When Congress amended the Act in 1977, it was aware of the Corps'        recent assertion of jurisdiction over wetlands. In fact, this issue was        extensively debated. In the end, Congress rejected attempts to narrow        the scope of that jurisdiction, in large part because of concern that        to do so would unduly hamper protection of wetlands. Other 1977 amendments,        such as the Section 404(f) exemptions, general permitting authority, and        the provision for States to assume the 404 program for some waters, responded        to concerns regarding the scope of jurisdiction. In allowing States to        assume the 404 program for some waters, Congress made specific reference        to wetlands in the Act itself.
What Has the Supreme Court Said?
Regarding the issue of jurisdiction for wetlands adjacent to rivers,        lakes, streams, estuaries, etc., the Supreme Court has unanimously held        that the Corps acted reasonably in interpreting the Act's geographic        jurisdiction to extend to wetlands adjacent to other Awaters of the U.S.,@        even if those wetlands are saturated only by ground water sources (as        opposed to surface water flooding). However, the Supreme Court has not        yet ruled on the issue of non-adjacent, isolated wetland jurisdiction.

 

About the Wetlands Program | Helpline | Publications | Espanol
 
EPA Home                                 | Privacy                                 and Security Notice |                                 Contact Us

 

  |
|--|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|