The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a 9-0 opinion in the case of S.D. Warren v. Maine Board of Environmental Protection, rejecting a South African paper company' s bid to exempt five of its hydroelectric dams in Maine from the Clean Water Act.

WASHINGTON, DC - The hydropower industry is about to get its day in court in a Clean Water Act case before the U.S. Supreme Court this February. If the industry wins, rivers everywhere will lose.

In an unexpected addendum today, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear two wetlands cases and one case on the Clean Water Act's application to hydropower dams. These three cases are expected to show the Court's posture on the reach of the Clean Water Act.

The Coastal Conservation League and American Rivers appealed Georgia's water quality certification for the City of Augusta's operation on the Augusta Canal and Diversion Dam. Lack of terms and conditions for any stream flow to be maintained in the four-mile long Augusta Shoals, a stretch of river whose flow is diverted at the dam, served as the basis for January' s appeal.

The certification also did not include conditions to protect federally and state endangered species that occur in the shoals, nor did it require construction of a fish passage facility to allow migrating fish access to upstream waters.

Maine Rivers' "2003 Best and Worst River Stories" has drawn attention to several river issues in Maine. The list, which was created with input from state-wide grass-roots organizations, highlights rivers around the state that have seen stunning improvements or have suffered major set-backs in the past year. The "Best" list featured more protective water quality standards on the Kennebec River.

A 401 water quality certification, recently issued by Maine' s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for Flagstaff Lake (referred to as the Flagstaff Storage Project) reflects a shift in the state' s interpretation of water quality standards setting a dangerous precedent for other water quality issues in Maine.

Located near Columbia, the Saluda River project in South Carolina includes the 48,000 acre Lake Murray and affects 10 miles of the Saluda River and 50 miles of the downstream Congaree River.

On April 11, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of American Rivers, Alabama Rivers Alliance, and Lake Watch Lake Martin on the question of what action triggers the need for a Clean Water Act section 401 water quality certification.

On February 21st, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguements in three cases that concern the scope of the Clean Water Act: Rapanos v. United States, Carabell v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, and S.D. Warren v. Maine Board of Environmental Protection.

On August 22nd, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in City of Tacoma v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. After being left nearly dry for more than 80 years by the Cushman hydroelectric project, the North Fork Skokomish river will once again have a healthy flow of water.