On April 15, 2019, EPA issued an Interpretative Statement clarifying the application of Clean Water Act (CWA or the Act) permitting requirements to groundwater. EPA concluded that releases of pollutants to groundwater are categorically excluded from the Act’s permitting requirements because Congress explicitly left regulation of discharges to groundwater to the states and to EPA under other statutory authorities.
View documents related to the Interpretative Statement.
You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.- Interpretive Statement Memorandum (PDF)(57 pp, 12 MB)
- Interpretative Statement Factsheet (PDF)(1 pg, 350 K)