Waters of the United States (WOTUS)

A graphical representation of just some of the waters that would be under jurisdiction of the

U.S Environmental Protection Agencyand the

U.S. Corps of Engineers

During a Congressional hearing, it waslearned that EPA had maps showingjust some of the nation’s rivers andstreams that would be jurisdictionalunder the proposed WOTUS rule.

Congress requested the maps and theEPA made them available to thepublic.

One of the state maps developed by EPA whichwere made public due to Congressional request.

The legend showssurface waters,including differentstream types, thatwould bejurisdictional underthe proposedWOTUS rule

Here, EPA explains the different types ofstreams (perennial, intermittent, and ephemeralstreams) which would be jurisdictional underthe proposed WOTUS rule. The EPA mapscaptures some, but not all, ephemeral streams.

When zoomed in to the county level, the EPA maps begin to lose their detail. Notall of the small ephemeral streams are captured.

The follow maps were developed by a partnership of agricultural groups tocapture detail down to the field level and to better describe the waters thatwould be jurisdictional under WOTUS.

The ‘homepage’ of the Agriculture’s WOTUS Mapping Initiative (AWMI). Note that it may take several seconds to completely load, depending upon the speed of your internet. The link to these interactive maps can be found at www.mo-ag.com.

User can zoom in on the maps and choose what ‘layers’ (various water features) todisplay. The ‘high-resolution streams (fine)’ layer brings up some of the most detail.

As you continue to click on the “ + “ zoom button, more detailed resolution comes into focus.

This screenshot is of an area just northeast of Jefferson City, MO. The MissouriRiver floodplain is clearly defined. All ditches in floodplains will bejurisdictional. The mapping software has useful measurement tools. Here, arough measurement of the length of the floodplain of Hillers Creek can be seen.The next page zooms up on the area marked by the red square.

Click on the ‘legend’ button and descriptions can be seen. On this screenshot, themap has been zoomed in further. Drainage ditches and wetlands become clearer.Smaller streams such as ‘Muddy Creek’ which drains into Hillers Creek can be seen.Remember, it may take some time for all these features to appear depending uponinternet speed. The next page zooms up on the area marked by the red square.

On this screenshot, field level detail becomes clear. Muddy Creek can be seenalong the bottom. The small intermittent and ephemeral streams feedingMuddy Creek would be jurisdictional. The small ponds may be jurisdictional.The next page zooms up on the area marked by the red square.

The area marked by the red square contains a waterway between two crop fields,located within a floodplain. An intermittent stream is located within the waterway.

Intermittent streams are jurisdictional under the proposed WOTUS rule. As a WOTUS,this ‘stream’ would have to be regulated and protected for all designated beneficialuses. Under CWA Section 303, this would mean more regulations on land use near this‘stream’. In the future, pesticide and fertilizer application permits may be necessary.