Redefining Rivers

Here's a geography fact I wasn't aware of: there are some rivers you can't always see because much of the time they run underground. Until two years ago, most of these seasonal waterways were protected by the Clean Water Act, but a homeowner who wanted to build on a marshy site challenged the federal restrictions and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. The court changed some definitions in the act, and that pleased developers – but now environmentalists are making waves. Ingrid Lobet reports for public radio’s Living on Earth. Click here to listen.

(Photo of Santa Cruz River by Ingrid Lobet)