NPCA staff fear the repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule could harm many park's waters, including those at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park/NPS, Lisa Lynch file

Think of threats to a national park, and clean water doesn't immediately come to mind, does it? Many view parks as offering some of the most pristine water around. After all, park boundaries are viewed as protection for natural resources, and leafy forests protect watersheds, which in turn filter rainwater. 

So when word came that the Trump administration had repealed a 2015 rule that was viewed as a key to protecting clean water from pollutants, you probably didn't think it would impact your favorite national park. But it just might, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

NPCA's take on the repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule is that it, along with the administration's pro-industry stance in general, stands to threaten "drinking water for communities and national park waterways across the country."

“Today’s reckless move by the administration erases years of significant improvements to the protection of our nation’s waterways," Theresa Pierno, the advocacy group's president and CEO, said last week. "Clean, safe water is a human right, and shouldn’t be sacrificed for the benefit of industry. It is essential to our national parks, the more than 300 million people who visit them every year, and the communities that surround them. These water protection rollbacks are coming at a time when we’re seeing toxic algae plague our waterways, and communities still struggling in the aftermath of the Flint, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio water crises. It’s clear that we need more clean water protections, not less.”

Also opposing the repeal was the Izaak Walton League, which maintained the repeal "is wholly unsupported by science, can’t be squared with the clear intent of the Clean Water Act, and fails the common-sense test.”

Environmental Protection Agency officials say the repeal ends "the previous administration’s overreach in the federal regulation of U.S. waters."

“Before this final rule, a patchwork of regulations existed across the country as a result of various judicial decisions enjoining the 2015 Rule," said  R.D. James, th assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works. "This final rule reestablishes national consistency across the country by returning all jurisdictions to the longstanding regulatory framework that existed prior to the 2015 Rule, which is more familiar to the agencies, States, Tribes, local governments, regulated entities, and the public while the agencies engage in a second rulemaking to revise the definition of ‘waters of the United States.’”

Back at NPCA, staff maintain that "water quality is 'impaired' in two-thirds" -- 237 -- of national parks that have water bodies in them.

"Failing to protect the small streams and wetlands covered in the original rule will contribute to the potential pollution washing downstream," NPCA said in a December 2018 blog post. "Wetlands, for example, filter water, removing pollutants and providing opportunities to recharge groundwater. The trickle-down effect on water quality could be dramatic with potential impacts on drinking water, swimming, paddling and camping, not to mention wildlife habitat."

So, which parks could be impacted?

* Acadia National Park

"Six lakes and ponds in the park are drinking water sources for nearby communities. Yet park waters have tested at high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria, suggesting that dangerous pathogens are likely in the water," says NPCA."Sewage overflows triggered by heavy rains are the primary source of these bacteria, although pet and wildlife waste may also contribute to the problem."

* Antietam National Battlefield

"Many of the water quality issues at Antietam are caused by runoff from urban and agricultural areas. This runoff transports pollutants into Antietam Creek, which then empties into the Potomac River, a source of drinking water for millions of people," NPCA maintains. "These pollutants include nitrates, phosphorus, chlorides, sulfates, sediments, and human and animal waste. Failing septic systems, municipal sewage discharges, pet waste, livestock waste and manure fertilizers are all sources of this pollution."

* Biscayne National Park

"...some fish species have tested positive for unsafe levels of mercury. Park waters also experience low levels of dissolved oxygen caused by large algal blooms, which occur due to excess quantities of nutrients in the water," the park advocacy group says.

* Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The park's watershed contains naturally occurring levels of selenium, but NPCA said "irrigation substantially increases the amount of selenium that gets dissolved and washed in the waterways. This irrigation is mostly agricultural, but other sources contribute to the problem. The selenium causes reproductive issues in fish and the birds that feed on them."

* Cuyahoga Valley National Park

While the Cuyahoga River is no longer in danger of catching fire, as it did in 1969, it occasionally shows "high concentrations of E. coli and other fecal bacteria. Stormwater from heavy rains overwhelms wastewater treatment plants, resulting in overflows of untreated sewage," says NPCA.

You can find more parks that NPCA is concerned about at this page.

"Many people assume that because a park is protected, its waters are pure, but maintaining the health of wetlands, rivers, lakes and streams requires careful management both within and beyond park borders. The original Clean Water Rule provided a helpful roadmap for people charged with preserving these waters," say NPCA staff.