U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a virtual roundtable on Tuesday, June 7 at 10:00am EST, that will include York Glover, Beaufort County Council Member on the importance of clean water protections in the Southeast.

“The EPA has the responsibility to ensure federal protection for our streams and wetlands, and I encourage them to pursue a strong definition of jurisdictional waters under the Clean Water Act," said Glover. "As a Gullah-Geechee farmer and Association Secretary, I know that clean water is essential to the livelihood of Beaufort County – the quality of our crops and industries depend on it."

To hear roundtable participants’ perspectives on clean water, join the EPA’s YouTube livestream page Waters of the United States Round Table (EPA) The link will remain available for viewing after the event’s conclusion. To view the additional seven Waters of the United States regional roundtables, visit EPA’s YouTube channel which contains archives of the discussions.

He will join stakeholders from a broad spectrum of land and water users who live or work in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, including a director of a water and sewer utility; general contracting and construction management executive; mitigation banker; faith leader; environmental justice advocates; manager of a kayaking company; representatives from conservation and environmental organizations; and clean water scientists.

“I look forward to hearing the perspectives of all 15 roundtable participants and will continue to encourage EPA to produce a robust Clean Water Act to safeguard the integrity of water quality in the Southeast, said Glover.”

In the Southeast, water is a way of life. Regional streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries and oceans are central to the area’s history, culture, and economy. Compared to other regions, the Southeast has more miles of streams and more acres of wetlands. Throughout our region, our families, businesses, and communities depend on these waters for drinking water, fishing, hunting, paddling, as a guard against flooding and pollution, to sustain a burgeoning tourism industry, and much more. We depend on consistent minimum federal standards to safeguard clean water and protect our everyday life.

Glover will discuss the importance of clean water for generational farming, safe crop production, the local seafood industry, drinking water, and quality of life in Beaufort County. A strong Clean Water Act protects critical resources for farming communities to flourish, and offers a mechanism for protection, particularly for underserved communities downstream from sources of water pollution.