The Environmental Protection Agency is in the midst of sorting out which of the „waters of the United States,” or WOTUS—the creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands, oceans, and, yes, in a few cases, ditches—should still be protected from pollution by the Clean Water Act of 1972.

At least some of the proposed new rules could result in more pollution in Southern California’s vast network of paved flood control channels, which soon could be viewed by the federal government as „ephemeral ditches.” That, in turn, could translate into a dirtier Pacific and dirtier rivers and creeks.

Though details of the EPA’s proposals are complex and filled with legalese, the agency’s broader goal is pretty simple. In November, when it initially posted its water proposals, the EPA wrote: „When finished, this WOTUS rule will help accelerate economic prosperity while protecting vital water resources.”

The original language of the Clean Water Act which is widely credited with staving off and, in some cases, reversing water pollution for more than a half-centur explicitly mentions environmental and human health, yet says nothing about economic prosperity.

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