Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the summer season. Nothing says "summer" like getting outdoors and enjoying clean water. That means Americans will head to local rivers for fishing excursions, to our favorite lakes for a refreshing swim, or to the beach to ride the waves and soak up the last of the sun.

Additionally, millions of us rely on waterways like the Great Lakes for clean drinking water. These waterways even help drive our local economy.

Our rivers and lakes are essential to our quality of life. That's why we should be doing everything we can to protect them.

President Trump's proposed budget for 2018 would dramatically cut or eliminate funding for programs helping to clean up iconic waterways like the San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, and Great Lakes.

The significance of these cuts becomes clear when considering that the Great Lakes alone holds one-fifth of the Earth's available fresh surface water, and enough to cover all the United States in more than 9.5 feet of water.