Clean Water Act

Deadly algae and invasive species are choking the life out of Lake Erie. It recovered from near-death 40 years ago, but the regulations that helped save it last time are under increasing attack.

As cities grow, aging sewer systems are having trouble keeping up with increasing amounts of waste. Often, the result is sewer system overflows that end up directly in waterways.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made final a decision that says much of the Los Angeles River is not navigable, and is therefore not a river. It will retain some Clean Water Act protection, but developing on its watershed may become easier.

A draft decision by the Army Corps of Engineers says that because a boat cannot navigate its waters, the L.A. River doesn't qualify as a river. Environmentalists are outraged, as hundreds of square miles of watershed are at risk of losing protection.