Letter of the week: Ensuring clean water

When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, it didn’t just defend the Mississippi or Missouri rivers from pollution. It also protected smaller streams and wetlands.

Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a proposal in March that would strengthen protection for the clean water vital to our health and our economy. Science shows what kinds of streams and wetlands affect water downstream, so our proposal says that these waters should be protected.

One in three Americans — 117 million of us — get our drinking water from streams, creeks and wetlands currently lacking clear protection.

We understand that people have questions and concerns about the proposal. We want to address them. The public comment period for the proposal is open through Nov. 14. More information is at www2.epa.gov/uswaters.

Karl Brooks, of Lawrence, was appointed by President Barack Obama as EPA Region 7 administrator in February 2010. The area includes Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and nine tribal nations.

This story was originally published October 12, 2014 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Letter of the week: Ensuring clean water."