No. 18-260October Term 2019Decided Apr 23, 2020
County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund
This case concerns Maui County’s practice of pumping treated wastewater into underground wells, where the pollutants traveled through groundwater and eventually reached the Pacific Ocean.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 23, 2020
- What it's about
This case concerns Maui County’s practice of pumping treated wastewater into underground wells, where the pollutants traveled through groundwater and eventually reached the Pacific Ocean. The dispute is whether the Clean Water Act requires a permit for pollution that comes from a point source but reaches navigable waters indirectly through groundwater.
Question presented
Whether the CWA requires a permit when pollutants originate from a point source but are conveyed to navigable waters by a nonpoint source, such as groundwater.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit / Decision released Apr 23, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided April 23, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 23, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology