This is a map of California's streams and waterways. Everything in orange, and nearly all of the yellow, lost federal pollution protections in a 2023 Supreme Court decision.

[Map titled "Streams and Waterbodies in California," from the U.S. National Hydrography Dataset, color-coding the state's waterways by type. Intermittent streams, shown in yellow, cover most of California; ephemeral streams, shown in orange-red, are concentrated across the northern and eastern parts of the state. Together these are the waters that lost federal Clean Water Act protection after the 2023 Sackett ruling.]

I live in Los Angeles. The water I drink comes from hundreds of miles away, off the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, one of the big orange areas on this map.

Without federal protections, polluting industries can dump chemicals right into the water that feeds my faucet—with nobody to hold them accountable.

California can still protect these waters using state tools, but it's not easy. The State Water Board has to issue tens of thousands of new permits, one at a time. For an understaffed agency, that could take years. Some of those waters may never get covered at all.

There's a better way. We're lobbying to pass a bill, SB 601, that would restore the protections we lost, writing them into California law so a court in Washington can't strip them away again.

But this clean water bill is coming up for a tough vote, and losing means falling behind on clean water. Add your name: tell your legislators to pass SB 601 and protect California's water.

Add my name: [link removed]

This isn't just an obscure regulatory rule. These streams, wetlands, and waterways are connected to the water you and your loved ones drink. They provide critical habitats for fish, birds, and other wildlife and shelter communities from floods and storms. They water the fruits and vegetables that California produces, eats, and ships worldwide.

All water is connected. Now, more than 90% of California's streams—and the people downstream—no longer have the federal government protecting them from dangerous pollution.

We can't afford to lose 50 years of clean water standards because politicians let the solution stall. Add your name to make sure SB 601 passes to protect our water: [link removed]

Clean water is one of our most basic human rights, and we're fighting hard to protect it. California has been a leader on water rights before, and we can lead again by making the right to clean water something no court can take away.

Thanks for standing up for it,

Fatima Iqbal-Zubair
Legislative Affairs Manager, EnviroVoters

Image Source: USGS National Hydrography Dataset



California Environmental Voters
1111 Broadway, Suite 300
Oakland, CA 94607
United States

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