A new report reveals that due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, over 90% of New Mexico's rivers, including major waterways like the Rio Grande, lack federal pollution protections.
Aliya Uteuova reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The Supreme Court's 2023 decision exempts intermittent streams and wetlands without permanent connections from Clean Water Act protections, affecting states like New Mexico disproportionately.
- This regulatory gap threatens the drinking water for most of the state’s population and various tribal communities.
- Recent state initiatives aim to compensate for the loss of federal oversight by improving water quality monitoring and pollution regulation.
Key quote:
“This ruling, and lifting protections for half of the country’s wetlands, is a real, immediate threat to everything from the quality of our water, to the price of our water, to whether our communities can thrive and ecosystems can exist.”
— Heather Taylor-Miesle, senior vice-president of advocacy and regional conservation, American Rivers
Why this matters:
The Southwest is characterized by its arid and semi-arid climate, making water an especially precious resource. As water scarcity increases due to climate change and population growth, protecting the quality of available water becomes even more critical to ensure sustainable supply for households, agriculture, and industry.
