Washington (CNN) The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to take up a case next term that relates to the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Authority's authority to regulate pollutants that find their way into navigable water.

The EPA and courts have not issued clear guidance on this. Depending upon how the court rules, it could have big implications that could expand the government's ability to regulate.

The law protects navigable waters -- rivers, oceans and lakes -- from pollution. The question presented is whether it also covers pollution that has traveled some distance from a pipe or well through groundwater and made its way into navigable water.

"Although this case raises a technical question about the Clean Water Act, it has much broader implications for the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency's power to regulate pollutants that cannot be traced to a specific source," said Steve Vladeck, a CNN contributor and professor at the University of Texas School of Law.

"The justices had sidestepped that matter five years ago, but now seem poised to revisit, and perhaps rein in, the federal government's authority in such cases -- a ruling that could have major consequences for the scope of the EPA's jurisdiction," he said.

Read More