The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) published the final Navigable Waters Protection Rule defining “waters of the United States” in the Federal Register on April 21, 2020; the rule will become effective on June 22, 2020. The final rule will replace the Step One Rule published in October 2019.
The EPA and Army are hosting a series of webinars in June and July specifically for states and tribes to learn about the final rule and implementation considerations.
All webinars will be held from 2-4 pm Eastern Time and include time for Questions and Answers.
State and tribal officials can register for the webinar series here: https://horsleywittenevents.webex.com/horsleywittenevents/onstage/g.php?PRID=58f671a779ebcc265a00c1050cefb8ca, or individual webinars listed below. Please register with your state or tribal email address, if available, so that we can ensure that attendance is limited to participants from state and tribal government agencies and state and tribal member organizations. The webinars, but not the Q&A sessions, will be recorded. If you have any questions about the webinar series, please email wotus-outreach@epa.gov.
Overview and Discussion of CWA Programs
June 9, 2020, 2-4 pm ET https://horsleywittenevents.webex.com/horsleywittenevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=ef379482ae2ec7cc1f14b30865a51d60c
This webinar provides an overview of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and discusses, where possible, how the final rule may affect various Clean Water Act programs.
Typical Year
June 16, 2020, 2-4 pm ET https://horsleywittenevents.webex.com/horsleywittenevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=e241a013a3cb91782e52d24bf2d9ad5cb
This webinar focuses on the definition and application of “typical year” when determining the jurisdictional status of waters.
Tributaries, Ditches, Flow Regime, and Assessment
June 23, 2020, 2-4 pm ET https://horsleywittenevents.webex.com/horsleywittenevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=ee4ab8e79df3256e2398f727a67c8bac4
This webinar focuses on the definitions of tributary, ditch, flow regimes, and key implementation issues including regional Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods (SDAMs). (Note: while SDAMs will be discussed, states and tribes can find more detailed information here: https://www.epa.gov/streamflow-duration-assessment.)
Adjacent Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Impoundments
June 30, 2020, 2-4 pm ET https://horsleywittenevents.webex.com/horsleywittenevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=ed12586695fc9c13885d38ffc435d492f
This webinar discusses the definitions of adjacent wetlands and jurisdictional lakes, ponds and impoundments, as well as implementation considerations.
Exclusions and More
July 7, 2020, 2-4 pm ET https://horsleywittenevents.webex.com/horsleywittenevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6ab3493f8ee0a01db2fb79b00c91d954
This webinar discusses the Navigable Water Protection Rule’s 12 categories of exclusions (features that are not “waters of the United States”) and will include time for discussion of any areas not otherwise addressed in the webinar series.