They say the court ruling merely restores the state of wetlands regulation under the federal Clean Water Act to the level set by Congress more than a quarter-century ago. When Congress passed the Clean Water Act, it was not intended to be a comprehensive wetlands-protection act. Beyond the Law's Intent Agencies like the EPA and the Corps of Engineers were restricting wetlands development through regulations written by the agencies themselves that went far beyond the intent of Congress, says Mr. Desiderio. They say the intent of Congress was to protect the nation's water supply. To do that, they say, wetlands must also be protected.
Wetlands are important.
They actually remove pollutants from water prior to polluted water reaching a stream or river. They also provide habitat for fish and animals and help control flooding. At the center of the debate over the federal regulations is a narrow legal issue of what constitutes a discharge of a pollutant into a wetland. The Clean Water Act restricts any such discharge, including attempts to drain a swamp by digging a drainage ditch through the center of it and piling the spoils along the bank. The regulation is aimed at preventing water pollution through runoff from the dredged material.