Opinion ID: 484909
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: De Minimus Theory

Text: 67 The district court's application of a purported de minimus exception to the Clean Water Act raises an issue of statutory interpretation and is reviewable de novo. See, e.g., Trustees of Amalgamated Insurance Fund, 784 F.2d at 929. 68 As noted above, the district court excused a few of the exceedances on the ground that they were caused by very unusual human errors that are excusable in light of time span and number of acceptable readings. It is unclear whether the court intended to excuse these violations under the upset defense or under a de minimus theory. In either event, the district court erred. The Clean Water Act and the regulations promulgated under it make no provision for rare violations. Our legal system would be quite different if one's behavior were evaluated using the aggregative method the district court applied.