Aquatic resources include wetlands, streams, lakes, rivers, springs, seeps, ponds, and groundwater.
Existing and newly created development has damaged the quality of nearly 35,000 miles of streams
and rivers in the United States, which makes it the fourth leading cause of impaired waterways.25
For lakes and wetlands development is the third leading cause of degradation and comes in as the
second most significant cause of impaired coastal waters.26