Rivers, Wetlands, Lakes
Rivers, Wetlands, Lakes
Access to clean, safe, reliable water is a fundamental human right. Clean water is essential to all living things. Yet across the country, our waterways are increasingly threatened by pollution, weakened protections, and climate impacts.
All living things depend on clean water
Sierra Club works to protect rivers, lakes, oceans, wetlands, and streams by upholding and strengthening foundational environmental laws, supporting community-led solutions, and helping people build lasting connections to the waterways they depend on.
Wetlands act as natural flood protection, absorbing and slowly releasing water during storms. Streams and headwaters filter pollutants and nourish downstream rivers, lakes, and estuaries. But recent policy decisions have made these systems more vulnerable than ever.
80%
5M
miles of waterways endangered
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA in 2023 gutted clean water protections.
The Sackett decision stripped protections from 80 percent of the nation’s wetlands and 5 million miles of rain-dependent and seasonal streams that feed into rivers, lakes, and estuaries. The ruling wiped out protections for more than half of the country’s wetlands, going even further than policies proposed by the Trump administration.
Victory!
States are stepping up after the Supreme Court puts wetlands at risk. Colorado became the first state in the nation to enact legislation addressing the regulatory rollback of federal wetland protections post-Sackett decision and will likely serve as a model for other states looking to take similar action.
What We Are Doing
Photo by Shaughn Cooper
Strengthening Water Protections
We are working at both the federal and state levels to defend and restore clean water protections. This includes pushing for strong federal rules and congressional action to uphold the Clean Water Act and supporting state policies that protect wetlands and waterways left vulnerable after the Sackett Supreme Court decision.
We also partner with frontline communities to safeguard drinking water, ecosystems, and flood resilience. And we lead outings and educational experiences that connect people to local waterways and opportunities for action.
What You Can Do
Tell Congress: Restore Critical Water Protections!
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