July News: NAWM

rick.savage • July 1, 2024

Greetings Wetland Supporters,


I attended the National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) conference at the National Conservation and Training Center near Shepherdstown, WV. I have always said that this annual conference is one of the best to attend because of its relevance and timeliness to wetland professionals. There were really great presentations and you can see the agenda here.


I was also invited to participate in a panel discussion on the Benefits of Regional, State, and Tribal Wetland Working Groups. I talked about our partnerships with stakeholders to help them find solutions to their flooding problems (e.g., Stony Run, Parkers Creek, Lumbee Cultural Center, the Gullah-Geechee), our partners with the Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Program (NC State University, RTI International, and the Partners for Environmental Justice dealing with Walnut Creek. I also talked about our involvement in state initiatives including the (NC) Natural and Working Lands Initiative and the NC Salt Marsh Action Plan.


Also on the panel was Tracy Hames, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, and he discussed a wetland workgroup that included state legislators, members from the governor’s office, realtors, homebuilders, wetland scientists, and members of the interested public. This group discusses wetland issues such as protection, given the Sackett case. And because of the diversity of the group, the Wisconsin legislature and governor passed legislation to provide greater protection for wetlands. I talked extensively with Tracy and Erin O’Brien (also of Wisconsin Wetlands Association) about this workgroup and how we might implement one in NC. So stay tuned.


I had several good conversations and one in particular was with Molly Martin from EPA Region 4. She is very excited about our new Wetlands Program Development Grant to expand our Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Program. Another good conversation was with Andy Robertson of Saint Mary’s University. He was estimating wetland protection loss for the state of New Mexico and he said that as much as 85% of the wetlands would lose their protection.


Just remember the Carolina Wetlands Association is still working on ways to reverse the loss of wetland protection in the Carolinas. One thing you can do is write or call your state representatives and tell them we need to protect our wetland resources. And consider making a donation to help us continue the fight for our wetlands.


So when exploring a wetland, think about what you can do to help make sure your wetland is

protected.


Rick Savage, Executive Director

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Federal Rule Would Strip Protections from Many Wetlands and Streams

By kim.matthews • October 7, 2026
On September 9, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) offering additional ways to define “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). Why this definition matters The WOTUS definition determines which water bodies the federal government can protect under the Clean Water Act. In November 2025, the agencies proposed revisions to bring the definition in line with the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA. After taking public comments, they have now put forward further options. The new proposal narrows federal jurisdiction even more, potentially stripping protections from the vast majority of U.S. wetlands and seasonal streams. What our comment letter says The Carolina Wetlands Association is submitting comments opposing the proposal. Our main concerns: It would undermine the Clean Water Act’s purpose. The law’s goal is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. This proposal would severely undercut that goal. The “days of water” test is a poor measure. The proposal decides jurisdiction by how many days a year water is present. That number correlates poorly with a waterway’s ability to carry pollution downstream to the rivers, lakes, and estuaries that would stay protected. Streams dry for as few as 30 days a year could lose protection, and polluters would have an incentive to discharge into them rather than into protected waters. Drinking water is at risk. About 56% of North Carolina’s stream miles feeding public drinking water systems are intermittent, ephemeral, or headwater streams. In South Carolina the figure is 51%. These systems serve 6.6 million people, who would bear higher health risks and treatment costs. Wetlands do critical work. They filter pollutants and nutrients that cause algal blooms, dead zones, and fish kills. Losing that function would also degrade groundwater, which many people drink untreated. The legal reasoning is flawed. We argue the agencies misread the Supreme Court’s language. “Relatively permanent” describes geographic features such as streams with defined beds and banks. The word “continuously” modifies “flowing” and doesn’t limit what counts as relatively permanent. It would be hard to implement. Many affected streams have no data showing how many days they lack surface water. That makes the rule difficult for agencies to administer and leaves landowners unable to tell whether the Clean Water Act applies to their property. The impacts haven’t been analyzed. The agencies should not finalize a rule before measuring the added pollution flowing from newly unprotected waters into those that supply drinking water, or projecting the resulting damage to downstream uses. What you can do Read the SNPRM Submit your comment by October 9, 2026, under Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW-2025-0322 . Personal stories about the streams, wetlands, and drinking water you depend on are especially effective. Learn more: read the comments we submitted on the November 2025 version of the rule, many of which still apply.

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By kim.matthews • September 2, 2026
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Wetlands: Nature’s Hidden Defense Against Drought

By rick.savage • August 3, 2026
North and South Carolina is starting to recover from one of the most severe droughts in recent history. Drought covered essentially both states with reservoirs like Falls Lake and Jordan Lake dropping well below normal and cities including Raleigh and Durham enacting mandatory water restrictions. While the drought is largely over (given the second wettest July on record), I still think it is important to understand how wetlands mitigate droughts because the bottom line is drought impacts would be a lot worse without wetlands.