Documents Associated with the 2015 Clean Water Rule
The final "Revised Definition of 'Waters of the United States'" rule was published in the Federal Register on January 18, 2023, and the rule took effect on March 20, 2023. On August 29, 2023, the agencies issued a final rule amending the Code of Federal Regulations to conform the January 2023 Rule’s definition of “waters of the United States” to the Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. The conforming rule amends the provisions of the agencies’ definition of “waters of the United States” in the January 2023 Rule that are invalid under the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Clean Water Act in the Sackett decision. The conforming rule, "Revised Definition of 'Waters of the United States'; Conforming," published in the Federal Register and became effective on September 8, 2023. Please visit the Rule Status page for additional information about the status of the January 2023 Rule, as amended, and litigation. Learn more about current implementation of the definition of "waters of the United States."
The following documents are associated with the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which was repealed and is not in effect. These documents are provided for informational purposes only.
- Technical Support Document for the Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States (pdf)
- Final Clean Water Rule Economic Analysis (pdf)
- Environmental Assessment - Finding of No Significant Impact (pdf)
- Response to Comments
- Final report: Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence
- Science Advisory Board review of the draft report
- Science Advisory Board Consideration of the Adequacy of the Scientific and Technical Basis of the Proposed Rule
- To see the Clean Water Rule website, please visit the EPA Web Archive.