The Supreme Court has made a decision that would take away rights for America’s wetlands. This could have a big effect on rivers that provide drinking water to people in the US.
The New Mexico rivers will be the ones most affected by this ruling. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA meant that the Clean Water Act would no longer protect over half of the country’s wetlands as it had for decades.
The president and CEO of the environmental group American Rivers, Tom Kiernan, said, “That’s why most of the most endangered rivers this year are what they are.” It is no longer safe to go near small streams that flow into rivers or wetlands that feed rivers.
Virtually 96% of New Mexico’s streams are open to pollution because they are not protected. This could have an effect on places further downstream, like the Rio Grande, Gila, San Juan, and Pecos Rivers.
In many places, like Santa Fe, the drinking water supply depends on the safety of small streams that flow from bigger rivers. California’s Sackett ruling took away those protections, putting our residents in danger, said Anna Hansen, the Santa Fe County Commissioner for District 2.
Drinking water rivers are in a lot of danger because of things like climate change, pollution, and even dams that make it easier for germs and algae that are bad for you to grow in the water.
“Climate change putting stress on our rivers and the Supreme Court’s decision to end protections for half of our wetlands—that creates a combination that deeply threatens our rivers,” Kiernan said.
People have relied on these water sources for years, and now the new laws could make them vulnerable and maybe even unsafe to drink in some places. This has made a lot of people afraid about what will happen.
