An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

CWA Section 401 Certification

Final Rule Implementation Materials

Pursuant to the April 10, 2019 Executive Order on Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) engaged with states, authorized tribes, and relevant federal agencies to identify provisions that require clarification within Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and related federal regulations and guidance. On June 1, 2020, the EPA finalized the "Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule" to implement the water quality certification process consistent with the text and structure of the CWA. The final rule became effective on September 11, 2020. EPA created the following internal materials to support EPA’s implementation of the final Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule.

You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.