Clean Water Act’s protections at risk

Re “Roberts, Scalia See Limits to the Reach of Clean Water Act,” Feb. 22

Drinking water supplies and such treasured waters as Lake Tahoe are among the many waterways at risk in two Supreme Court cases heard last week in Washington.

The cases put small streams and wetlands in danger of losing federal Clean Water Act protections. These streams and wetlands must remain protected because they are critical to the health of the nation’s waterways, providing water, filtering out pollution and absorbing floodwaters.

The Supreme Court should follow more than 30 years of precedent and ensure the continued broad scope of Clean Water Act protections. Our congressional representatives also should take action by passing the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act to reaffirm the original intent of the Clean Water Act to protect all U.S. waters.

MOIRA CHAPIN

Federal Field Organizer,

Environment California,

Los Angeles

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The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California needs to know that dry desert land may not be a navigable waterway, but it is indeed a conduit for pollution into our water supply. How does it think uranium, perchlorate and chromium 6 got into the Colorado River? It wasn’t directly dumped into it but leeched in from under the surrounding desert land.

Rather than be gutted, the Clean Water Act needs to be beefed up.

DOUG HEATH

Long Beach