We all know that dumping dirty water into clean water spoils the entire system. If there is pollution in a river or stream and you dump it into a clean lake, the lake then becomes dirty. It sounds logical, but the Environmental Protection Agency has yet to clean up a dirty rule by the Bush administration that allowed this exact type of water transfer to occur.

In Florida, Earthjustice went to court to challenge a practice that allowed polluters to pump profoundly dirty drainage canal water into Lake Okeechobee, the second biggest fresh water lake wholly in the U.S. The lake is also a drinking water source for nearby communities.

The court ruled that the pumping endangered public health and required a Clean Water Act permit. But while the case was on appeal, the Bush administration changed the rules and allowed these dirty water transfers to occur anywhere in the country without a Clean Water Act permit. The Clean Water Act, one of our country's oldest and strongest environmental laws, requires permits that help reduce pollution. This new rule was a clear violation of the law.

The EPA now has a chance to act, but they need to hear your support for clean water!  Tell EPA administrator Lisa Jackson to overturn this bad Bush administration rule and follow the law.

Let the EPA know that we want clean water for drinking, fishing, swimming and recreating. Polluters must obtain permits that ensure they follow the law.