PULASKI COUNTY, Ill. — As federal protections for wetlands shrink, Prairie Rivers Network warns that southern Illinois could lose some of its last natural defenses against flooding and polluted water.

Illinois has over 1.2 million acres of wetlands and ecosystems that help prevent flooding, filter drinking water, and support wildlife. Nearly 970,000 of those acres could lose federal protection after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the Trump administration, announced that it is drafting a new rule to narrow the scope of water bodies protected by the Clean Water Act.

The decision in Sackett v. EPA limited the federal government’s ability to regulate wetlands, striking down protections for many areas that lack a continuous surface connection to larger bodies of water. Prairie Rivers Network said that leaves many wetlands vulnerable to destruction.

"This case went to the Supreme Court to decide which wetlands are covered by the Clean Water Act," said Robert Hirschfeld, director of water policy at Prairie Rivers Network. "The court said, essentially, only wetlands with a continuous surface connection to navigable waters qualify."

Hirschfeld emphasized the harm this would cause to Illinois’ wetlands, which are 95% located in southern Illinois.

"Anywhere from 150,000 to almost all of Illinois wetlands, almost 1,000,000 acres–about 970,000 acres–could lose protection, and in Illinois at least, you know we don’t have any state laws that protect wetlands… the federal Clean Water Act was the law that protects wetlands in Illinois," Hirschfeld said.

Wetlands play an important role in protecting both people and ecosystems. Hirschfeld explained that wetlands are known for purifying drinking water from pollutants.

"Wetlands are an extremely effective way to filter out that pollution before it gets into rivers and streams, and you know, so that’s a way to protect our drinking water," Hirschfeld said. "It also saves money because, you know, if you’re a town that has to filter and purify your water, the less polluted it is, the less you have to spend to purify your water."

Hirschfeld also said they mitigate flooding by absorbing excess rainfall, which reduces flood risks and saves millions of dollars annually.

"Wetlands are basically giant sponges that soak up floodwater, and keep it out of your basement, out of your town, out of your homes, off your roads," Hirschfeld said. "So if you just took all the wetlands out, we’d have $750 million more flood damage every year." 

Hirschfeld said that because wetlands and floodplains act as natural barriers to flooding, now is the time to speak up to protect important wetlands, given the federal funding cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"The Trump administration is looking at FEMA and other federal disaster programs and cutting those," Hirschfeld said. "It’s more important than ever that we, you know, sustain and protect that natural infrastructure we have now. That keeps these floodwaters out of our communities."

While the wetlands are important for safety, Sam Buckner, the site manager for Cache Bayou Outfitters, said they are also important for preserving their natural beauty, which draws people from all over the country to experience Illinois’ unique region.

"Southern Illinois, in general, is really cool because it’s one of only like six places in the U.S. where four geographic regions all come together in the same place," Buckner said.

Cache Bayou Outfitters offers canoe and kayak rides through the bayous in southern Illinois wetlands. Buckner said he and the tourists he has taken out on the water have expressed awe at the beauty of the wetlands.

"I am feeling overjoyed and I am just in awe of all the little things, you know, one of my favorite things about working out here is I get to be here through all the seasons," Buckner said. "It makes me feel good. It makes the people we take out here feel really good, and it’s a lot of shared experiences, too."

On a personal level, Buckner said it would be a loss if they couldn’t maintain those lands, since everyone benefits from the wetlands, whether it’s having purified drinking water or being protected from floodwaters.

"When we take these away from the public, and we don’t let them, we don’t protect them and take care of them, and that’s just a loss for everybody," Buckner said.

Prairie Rivers Network is backing a state-level solution: the Illinois Wetlands Protection Act, which would create a permitting program through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The bill, introduced as Senate Bill 2401, would require developers to apply for a permit before filling in wetlands and to offset any wetland loss by restoring or creating new ones.