“Clean water is the lifeblood of our parks. From the wildlife and communities that surround our parks to the millions of visitors that explore them every year, cleaner water is a result of all of us speaking up and putting in the work." -- NPCA's Chad Lord
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the National Parks Conservation Association, along with our partners across the country, celebrate the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to improve our freshwater resources, a basic need for all living things. The America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge aims to reconnect, restore and protect eight million acres of wetlands by 2030 and 100,000 miles of our nations’ rivers and streams. These ambitious freshwater restoration goals are consistent with the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment – alongside 45 other nations – to the global Freshwater Challenge, which aims to restore 186,000 miles of degraded rivers and 850 million acres of wetlands globally by 2030.
Healthy waterways are integral to the health of America’s national parks and all who visit them. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a pivotal clean water case, Sackett vs. EPA, gutting Clean Water Act protections for the majority of all wetlands in the United States. This is detrimental to national parks where two-thirds of park waters are already impaired, with much of this pollution linked to out-of-park upstream activities.
With the interconnectedness of our more than 420 national parks, what pollutes one, impacts many. Wetlands flow into streams, which flow into rivers and lakes and the ocean. A recent poll by NPCA found that 92% of Americans support reducing water pollution to better protect marine wildlife.
Wetlands serve as natural buffers, filtering out chemicals and toxins. Wetlands help hold shorelines intact from climate harms like erosion from more frequent and intense storms. Healthy wetlands provide economic benefits that include flood and drought protection and support our $887 billion outdoor recreation industry. Just one acre of wetlands can store about 1 million gallons of water, which is an essential tool and one of many climate solutions our national parks provide.
Statement by Chad Lord, Senior Director of Environmental Policy and Climate Change for the National Parks Conservation Association
“The new freshwater challenge brings much needed attention and prioritization to conserving and restoring our nation’s freshwater resources. With many American communities living with unsafe drinking water and more than two-thirds of our national park waters already impaired, we welcome today’s much-needed attention.
“Clean water is the lifeblood of our parks. From the wildlife and communities that surround our parks to the millions of visitors that explore them every year, cleaner water is a result of all of us speaking up and putting in the work. To be successful, we must all support and strengthen national, Tribal, state, and local efforts to protect and restore our lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries and wetlands. This collaboration, coupled with historic restoration investments already underway in and around our parks, is critical for the recovery and long-term health of our waterways. When we prioritize clean water for people and parks, we promote businesses, tourism and recreational opportunities for the record visitors to these places, and billions of dollars in economic support they provide to the gateway communities that surround them.
“For years NPCA and our members and supporters across the country have called for more protections to restore our nation’s most iconic waterways. We’re proud to lend our support to this partnership and look forward to our work together to improve clean water for drinking, swimming and fishing for all.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
