These measures define which waters will require special permits for activities such as construction, which could damage their quality, authorities say.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan said the decision “safeguards our nation’s waters, strengthens economic opportunity, and protects people’s health while providing greater certainty to farmers, ranchers and landlords”.

For her part, Radhika Fox, the EPA’s top official, told The Hill that the new rule “focuses on protecting water resources, but does so in a way that also provides clarity to all water users.”

The new regulations are seen as a happy medium between previous actions by the administrations of Donald Trump (2017-2021) and Barack Obama (2009-2017).

The last few years have witnessed a significant to-and-fro over which waters should be regulated, with the Obama-era rules being the most stringent and the Trump-era rules being the least judicious.

For example, Obama’s Clean Water Rule protected ephemeral streams, while Trump did not.

According to experts, these Biden regulations are expected to provide protection for these currents, as well as incorporate certain categories of waters that are excluded from the protections.

Meanwhile, Jon Devine, director of federal water policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, described the rule as “a step in the right direction” and also said the country “still has a lot of work to do to fully protect the important waters.

Regulating the use of water is controversial in the United States, with defenders of the environment and detractors of laws to protect this vital liquid.

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