The Farming Exemption under 404(f) of the Clean Water Act--Congressional Intent and Judicial Construction

A 1984 study by the Office of Technology Assessment found that 80 percent of the inland wetland losses between the mid-1950s and mid-1970s were the result of agricultural conversions. Despite this fact, the applicability of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Section 404 permit program to farming activities is an issue that, until recently, has received little attention.