From: ECY RE Wetlands Information (SEA) <wetlandsinformation@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2021 2:19 PM
To: WETLANDS-INFORMATION@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Waters of the United States: Agencies to follow pre-2015 regulatory
requirements
External Email
Waters of the United States: Agencies to follow pre-2015 regulatory requirements
In April 2020 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA issued the Navigable
Waters Protection Rule changing the definition of "waters of the United
States," sometimes called "WOTUS," subject to federal water quality
protections. The rule took effect June 22, 2020.
On Aug. 30, 2021, the EPA and Corps received an order from the U.S. District
Court for the District of Arizona in the case of Pascua Yaqui Tribe v. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, which vacated and remanded the Navigable
Waters Protection Rule. In light of this order, federal agencies have halted
implementation of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and are interpreting
waters of the United States consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory
requirements until further notice. See EPA's Current Implementation of Waters
of the United States
webpage<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov%2Fwotus%2Fcurrent-implementation-waters-united-states&data=04%7C01%7CRobert.Vadas%40DFW.WA.GOV%7C03874b95966d4c90ffe908d974a10a36%7C11d0e217264e400a8ba057dcc127d72d%7C0%7C0%7C637669057291611058%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=oZ6wZLNGYXxCJDLAdo9BuxvtaH9vdjz%2FrYoweS5ZONA%3D&reserved=0>
for more information.
Washington laws governing wetlands not changed by federal courts
The state Water Pollution Control Act and associated regulations make no
distinction between WOTUS and non-WOTUS wetlands. All "waters of the state" are
covered by state law.
Ecology continues to regulate non-WOTUS wetlands and apply the water quality
standards prescribed by state law. Ecology's process for regulating projects
involving non-federally regulated (non-WOTUS) wetlands is similar to the
process used for federally-regulated wetlands. See Ecology's state wetland
regulation & applicant
resources<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fecology.wa.gov%2FWater-Shorelines%2FWetlands%2FRegulations%2FState-wetland-regulations&data=04%7C01%7CRobert.Vadas%40DFW.WA.GOV%7C03874b95966d4c90ffe908d974a10a36%7C11d0e217264e400a8ba057dcc127d72d%7C0%7C0%7C637669057291621019%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=iBhOSU2WPVCPWowpFJzZ0UfV%2B1Qo0zxhxLY4awYtxb4%3D&reserved=0>.
More information
* EPA's Waters of the United States web
page<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov%2Fwotus&data=04%7C01%7CRobert.Vadas%40DFW.WA.GOV%7C03874b95966d4c90ffe908d974a10a36%7C11d0e217264e400a8ba057dcc127d72d%7C0%7C0%7C637669057291630974%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Y6dkI0bl%2FnBHEVlTVTwVpnemhzEkH%2BYw46yIj62z824%3D&reserved=0>
* Corps' Headquarters pre-2015 Clean Water Act
Guidance<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usace.army.mil%2FMissions%2FCivilWorks%2FRegulatoryProgramandPermits%2FRelatedResources%2FCWAGuidance.aspx&data=04%7C01%7CRobert.Vadas%40DFW.WA.GOV%7C03874b95966d4c90ffe908d974a10a36%7C11d0e217264e400a8ba057dcc127d72d%7C0%7C0%7C637669057291630974%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=1KJYtUPNBq0EphRclVC%2B2PEH%2B%2Bx%2F7k%2FmSr4HOtEGv5I%3D&reserved=0>
* For Ecology-specific information about the WOTUS definition, please
contact Lauren Driscoll, Wetlands Section Manager, at 360-584-5107 or
lauren.driscoll@xxxxxxxxxx<mailto:lauren.driscoll@xxxxxxxxxx>.
* For information about the federal jurisdictional status of a wetland,
please contact the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District
office<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usace.army.mil%2Flocations.aspx&data=04%7C01%7CRobert.Vadas%40DFW.WA.GOV%7C03874b95966d4c90ffe908d974a10a36%7C11d0e217264e400a8ba057dcc127d72d%7C0%7C0%7C637669057291630974%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=zuehwBiiBbWnKme4SkW9YCiqTm13dCCvbV1D7zwb2TI%3D&reserved=0>.
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For more information on wetlands, go to Ecology's Wetlands Overview
page<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fecology.wa.gov%2FWater-Shorelines%2FWetlands%2FWetlands-overview&data=04%7C01%7CRobert.Vadas%40DFW.WA.GOV%7C03874b95966d4c90ffe908d974a10a36%7C11d0e217264e400a8ba057dcc127d72d%7C0%7C0%7C637669057291640930%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=YUUNLYJq45Jo7bshrvPJ5CK%2BKCdm7U4I%2F8WHIZvq33Y%3D&reserved=0>.
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