Publications

In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court decision known as the SWANCC  holding (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and a federal guidance issued pursuant to it placed wetlands and other waters considered “geographically isolated” from navigable waters outside the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. Since then, wetland managers and policymakers have struggled to understand the implications of the holding for the nation’s wetland resources. Here, we describe a recent investigation of the holding’s impact on biological diversity that can provide guidance to federal agencies, states, tribes, and local governments charged with protecting these valuable wetland resources.