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 America's wetlands provide something for everyone. Wetlands protect us all in many ways -- they filter pollutants from our drinking water, protect our homes by storing floodwater, and provide homes for fish, shellfish, and wildlife. Wetlands are crucial for clean water, serving as a natural filter absorbing water-borne pollutants and damaging contaminants before the water enters our rivers, lakes, and streams.
Despite the fact that wetlands are of unique value to our society, a 1997 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that roughly 58,500 acres of wetlands are being destroyed annually. Sierra Club is fighting for the restoration and protection of wetlands all across America, for our families and for our future.
Yazoo Pump Project in Mississippi Threatens 200,000 Acres of Wetlands
The Army Corps of Engineers is proposing one of the largest wetland-destruction projects ever to solve minimal flooding problems in the Mississippi Delta. The Yazoo Pumps project threatens critical wildlife and fisheries habitat. The now-retired director of the EPA's Wetlands Division wrote in a letter to the New York Times that he "never reviewed a proposal that would do more damage to the environment..." The cost to taxpayers will be more than $200 million.
>> Read a letter urging U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to veto the Yazoo Pumps project.
Photo from Sierra Club collection; all rights reserved.
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