Federal EPA Registry Update

01/19/2023|Sunflower Environmental|

Federal Register :: Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States”;

Effective Date: March 20, 2023

Final Rule Excerpt of Definition:

“In this rule, consistent with the general framework of the 1986 regulations, the agencies interpret the term “waters of the United States” to include:

  • traditional navigable waters, the territorial seas, and interstate waters (“paragraph (a)(1) waters”);
  • impoundments of “waters of the United States” (“paragraph (a)(2) impoundments”);

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;• tributaries to traditional navigable waters, the territorial seas, interstate waters, or paragraph (a)(2) ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;impoundments when the tributaries meet either the relatively permanent standard or the significant nexus standard (“jurisdictional tributaries”); ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

  • wetlands adjacent to paragraph (a)(1) waters, wetlands adjacent to and with a continuous surface connection to relatively permanent paragraph (a)(2) impoundments, wetlands adjacent to tributaries that meet the relatively permanent standard, and wetlands adjacent to paragraph (a)(2) impoundments or jurisdictional tributaries when the wetlands meet the significant nexus standard (“jurisdictional adjacent wetlands”); and
  • ;intrastate lakes and ponds, streams, or wetlands not identified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) that meet either the relatively permanent standard or the significant nexus standard (“paragraph (a)(5) waters”).”