The Environmental Protection Agency replaced the Waters of the United States Rule. The new Navigable Waters Protection Rule clarifies federal and state protected waters. There are four categories of jurisdictional waters under federal protection. Those include territorial and traditional navigable waters, intermittent tributaries, certain lakes and ponds and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters. The new rule outlines the waters not subject to federal control. They include water that is in direct response to rain, groundwater, many ditches, including most farm and roadside ditches, and prior converted cropland. The EPA said all states have their own protections for waters within their borders. Read more about the rule.
