In 2023, the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of wetlands protected under the Clean Water Act to only those non-tidal wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to a federally protected water. This approach is not backed by science and may be interpreted in different ways, potentially threatening the communities and ecosystems that depend on them for critical habitat and flood protection.
Our Partners at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have developed a map exploring how many wetlands could lose federal protections by looking at different scenarios for how the court’s opinion may be interpreted. Darker shaded areas suggest a higher percentage of non-tidal wetlands potentially not federally protected.