By Becky Smith, Massachusetts Campaigns Director
My little water bug took her inaugural canoe ride on Saturday, May 23rd, just a few weeks before her first birthday. We paddled the waters of the “mighty Nemasket River” which wasn’t exactly mighty, but still a huge adventure for us that sunny day in Southeastern Massachusetts! On our paddle, we hit a few rough spots of fast water, portaged over a couple of dams, and I shielded her face from several branches while taking a beating of my own. She came out smiling every time!
I did not have to protect her from dangerous, dirty water, however, because we were in a river that has long been protected by the Clean Water Act, though it is a small tributary to the larger Taunton River. Last week, EPA and President Obama finalized a rule that’s been twelve years in the making to keep waters cleaner across the United States. In a move that protects not only human health and the natural environment and creatures, but also our economies, small streams and wetlands, which feed our rivers and reservoirs, have regained their original Clean Water Act protections.
My waterbug says, “Thank you,” or the baby equivalent.
