I came across this article in the New York Times regarding a potential expansion of the reach of the Clean Water Act, which may have potentially harmful consequences on farmers with small ditches or streams that have water in them during certain parts of the year.

While arguments for and against this expansion of jurisdiction are made, the consequences aren’t exactly clear.  Since assessments of the small ditches and other such water-holding streams would need to be made before the EPA could determine whether a permit is needed, some argue that this would cause farmers to miss out on planting time, which could ultimately lead to great losses of income.