Clean Water Sucks... Said No One Ever!

You would think passing a rule to protect one of our most limited resources would be easy. Think again. For the last decade and a half, the clean water community has worked tirelessly to pass the Clean Water Rule. Finally, on May 27, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers finalized the long awaited rule, which restores protections to thousands of miles of streams and thousands of acres of wetlands.

Clean water does not suck – Let me tell you why:

Do you like beer?  Me too. Craft Beer Companies testified before the United States Senate that they need this rule because their breweries and communities depend on clean water. Beer is 90% water after all.  If we make our beer with clean water, we better our beer, better our business and better our economy. 

Do you like fishing?  Me too. America’s anglers are standing firmly behind the Clean Water Rule. Trout Unlimited and other organizations know that this rule will protect the fishing, rearing, and breeding grounds of rockfish (striped bass) and trout.  Whether you like to fish, eat fish, or just hang out around fish, we all know fish deserve clean water (especially since they spend most of their lives in it).

Do you like bald eagles and osprey?  ME TOO! The bald eagle has been our National Emblem since 1782!  And osprey just look really awesome, especially when they are right on the water hunting for prey.  This rule protects their watersheds and the fish they eat to survive.  Plus, what’s the best part about a bald eagle?  It never needs a haircut!

Do you like drinking clean water?  This is a no brainer.  The Rule protects streams and wetlands that are drinking water sources for more than 1 in 3 Americans – that’s about 117 million of us!

We need clean water for public health, wildlife, and the economy.  

As Prairie River Networks says, “Water is life.”  Check out their YouTube video here.