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A toxic blue-green algae bloom.
A toxic blue-green algae bloom.
Indefinitely Wild

These 6 Industries Will Be Hurt by Clean Water Rollback

The EPA announced plans to reduce protections for 50 percent of streams and 110 million acres of wetlands

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On September 12, the Trump administration of its long-planned rollback of the Clean Water Act. Taking us back to pre-1988 levels of protection, the rule opens up 50 percent of stream miles in the lower 48 states and聽110 million acres of wetlands to polluters.

This is, of course, billed as a regulatory boon to the oil, gas, mining, and other environmentally-damaging industries. But dirty water doesn鈥檛 benefit everyone. Let鈥檚 take a look at the industries that will be harmed by these actions.听

Waterfowl Hunting

鈥淓very species of duck, goose, and swan in North America depends on wetlands at some point in its life cycle,鈥澛爌rivate conservation organization Ducks Unlimited聽. The group is responsible for protecting 14 million acres of wetlands over the last eight decades, work that is now threatened by the Trump administration.听

鈥淢ost waterfowl breed in or near small wetland complexes,鈥澛燾ontinues the statement. 鈥淭hese areas provide essential resources such as nesting sites, nutrition for females and their young, and cover to reduce predation.鈥 It鈥檚 these small wetland areas that are most at threat under the new rules. Anything that鈥檚 not a major body of water is essentially having its protections stripped.听

鈥淣early two out of every three mallards that hunters harvest in the United States are produced in the Prairie Pothole Region,鈥 the organization details. That region will no longer benefit from Clean Water Act protections. 鈥淏iologists estimated that loss of the most vulnerable wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota could result in a 40 percent loss of breeding pairs of waterfowl from that region. If loss of wetlands continues, particularly in the Prairie Pothole Region, shorter waterfowl hunting seasons and smaller bag limits are more likely over the long term.鈥

Waterfowl hunting is responsible for $3.4 billion in retail sales annually, and 68,000 jobs.听

Recreational Fishing

鈥淭rout and salmon depend on the streams targeted by this proposal,鈥 . 鈥淎nd since water flows downstream, weakening the law will ultimately affect many types of recreational fishing.鈥澛

鈥淭he Clean Water Act, and the 2015 Rule, are vital to TU鈥檚 mission, and to anglers across the nation. Whether TU is working with farmers to restore small headwater streams in West Virginia, removing acidic pollution caused by abandoned mines in Pennsylvania, or protecting the world-famous salmon-producing, 14,000-jobs-sustaining watershed of Bristol Bay, Alaska, we rely on the Clean Water Act to safeguard our water quality improvements,鈥 the organization wrote in .听

Recreational fishing contributed $115 billion to the United States economy in 2013聽and supports 563,000 jobs.听

Commercial Fishing

鈥淚n 2016, commercial and recreational saltwater fishing in the United States generated more than $212 billion in sales and contributed $100 billion to the country鈥檚 gross domestic product,鈥 聽in a press release. 鈥淭hese critical industries supported 1.7 million jobs in communities across the country.鈥

of commercially harvested fish are wetlands-dependent. Even ocean-dwelling fish are part of a food chain that often begins in wetlands. That percentage of the harvest that鈥檚 wetlands-dependent grows to 95聽if you add shellfish to the calculation.

Brewing

鈥淏eer is mostly water, so the quality of our source water significantly affects our finished product,鈥 members of聽the craft beer brewing industry write聽in . 鈥淐ompounds present in brewing water can affect pH, color, aroma, and taste. Sulfates make hops taste astringent, while chlorine can create a medicinal off-flavor. The presence of bacteria can spoil a batch of beer. Even small chemical disruptions in our water supply can influence factors like shelf life and foam pattern.鈥

鈥淯nexpected changes in water quality鈥攄ue to pollution in our source water, or a change in the treatment process at our local drinking water plant鈥攃an threaten our brewing process and our bottom line,鈥 the letter continues. 鈥淲e need reliable sources of clean water to consistently produce the great beer that is key to our success.鈥

The craft beer industry contributes $76.2 billion to the American economy each year, supporting more than 500,000 jobs.听

Watersports

鈥淲ater quality directly impacts whitewater boaters as they get splashed, flip over, and occasionally swim,鈥 , a recreational boating advocacy group. 鈥淲hile all of this is part of the fun, it鈥檚 less so if the water that gets into paddler鈥檚 mouths, ears, noses, and any cuts is polluted. The issue of protecting water quality is also especially important to boaters because most whitewater rivers and streams can only be descended during higher than normal flows caused by rainfall or during snowmelt. Surface runoff and pollution often spike during these times.鈥

Watersports support $140 billion in retail spending annually, and 1.2 million jobs.听

Tourism

It鈥檚 difficult to estimate the total economic impact clean water brings to the tourism industry each year. But, it can be easy to find instances where dirty water has harmed tourism-dependent economies. In 2014, an algae bloom in Lake Erie caused by agricultural runoff is estimated to have cost businesses in Toledo, Ohio,聽 in lost spending鈥攐n one weekend alone. The Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to have cost Florida in lost tourism. A small chemical spill in West Virginia鈥檚 Elk River cost the local economy per day, 24 percent of the region鈥檚 total economic output. The Trump administration鈥檚 new CWA rules could damage or eliminate the very features that draw tourists to destinations.听


Of course, such a sweeping roll back of Clean Water Act protections won鈥檛 just impact the聽country鈥檚 bottom line. The changes could reduce access to clean drinking water for .听

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