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5 <br />"Rightly celebrated as one of this country's most important environmental statutes, the 1972 Clean Ut~a- <br />terAct has greatly improved the quality of America's waters, turning contaminated rivers and takes into <br />swimmable, fishable and even drinkable waters. <br />But even its staunchest allies agree that the act has grown old and fallen well short of its goats, crippled <br />by uneven and sometimes nonexistent enforcement by state and federal agencies -particularly during <br />the Bush years, but even before ...More than 40 percent of the country's waters ...remain danger- <br />ously polluted. Nearly 20 million Americans fall ill every year from drinking water contaminated with para- <br />sites, bacteria or viruses. Polluters -public and private, large and small -treat the taw with contempt. <br />Violations have jumped significantly. Penalties for noncompliance are small and rarefy assessed." <br />The New York Times, October 29, 2009 <br />"When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, Lawmakers clearly hoped to clean up polluted riv- <br />ers and lakes, not promote the travel of boats. <br />Yet two Supreme Court rulings this decade, and the ensuing interpretations of those rulings by the-Bush <br />administration, have sabotaged the law's intent. <br />Presently, Congress is considering the so-called "Clean Water Restoration Act" to repair the damage done <br />over the last decade, and we wish them godspeed. <br />After the high court's rulings in 2001 and 2006, the Clean WaterAct has been narrowed to protect only <br />"navigable waters," leaving wetlands, isolated waters such as ponds and other habitat for waterfowl, and <br />the intermittent creeks and streams that run throughout Colorado's mountains without federal oversight <br />and protection. <br />Another result of the court's decisions ...has been great confusion about regulation and protections of <br />the country's waters." <br />The Denver Post, October 4, 2009 <br />These Supreme Court decisions and subsequent agency guidance run counter to the fundamental water quality <br />protection goal of the Clean Water Act and have significantly weakened the Clean Water Act's ability to protect <br />this nation's waters. As these stories demonstrate, it has become clear to many county officials that America still <br />needs the strong and broad Clean Water Act protections that were enacted in 1972.. <br />How are counties and their communities harmed? <br />1. Martin County, 1=L <br />2. Clackamas County, OR <br />3. Calumet County, WI <br />4. Santa Barbara County, CA <br />5. St. Louis Gounty, MN <br />6. Dane County, WI <br />7. Lane County, OR <br />8. St. Glair County, AL <br />9. Matthews County, VA <br />Photo credft: Mary Burke, USFWS <br />2 Clean Water For Ali: County Leaders Speak Out for Clean Water <br />