RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Without healthy, flowing rivers, we don’t have clean water, and you can just imagine the widespread consequences of that. Development, poor water and flood management, climate change, our nation’s crumbling water infrastructure, oil and gas exploration, and dams are among the main reasons many of our nation’s rivers need our attention. A new list points out 10 waterways most in need.
THE DETAILS: Using criteria including the magnitude of its threats, major decisions likely to take place in the next year, and a river’s regional and national significance, American Rivers, a leading conservation group in the United States, released America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 Edition. The list spotlights 10 rivers confronted by decisions in the coming year that could determine their future, and offers solutions.
Here’s a rundown of the 2009 rivers that warrant the attention of the nation:
1. Sacramento-San Joaquin River System
Location: California
Threat: The state’s largest watershed is on the verge of collapse, which could threaten the water supply of 26 million people. Poor flood and water management are to blame.
2. Flint River
Location: Georgia
Threat: To help hydrate a thirsty Atlanta, some are proposing building more dams, which would destroy the state’s recreational treasure and disrupt the ecosystems of its tributaries.
3. Lower Snake River
Location: Washington, Oregon, Idaho
Threat: Four dams have all but doomed the region’s once-robust salmon population.
4. Mattawoman Creek
Location: Maryland
Threat: Highway development threatens to destroy one of the few clean waterways flowing into the polluted Chesapeake Bay.
5. North Fork of the Flathead River
Location: Montana
Threat: One of the most protected watersheds in the country is threatened by mining operations upstream in British Columbia, Canada.
6. Saluda River
Location: South Carolina
Threat: More than half a million people rely on this river for clean water, but the Saluda River is crammed with phosphorous pollution from human waste, threatening property values, fish and wildlife, and public health.
7. Laurel Hill Creek
Location: Pennsylvania
Threat: Energy extraction and development could rob water from the creek and pollute the Youghiogheny River, a popular whitewater boating destination, downstream.
8. Beaver Creek
Location: Alaska
Threat: Unless protected, this salmon-packed, popular recreation area could be surrendered to oil and gas development.
9. Pascagoula River
Location: Mississippi
Threat: A river that supports a multimillion-dollar fish industry could be hollowed out for future storage of 160 million barrels of oil.
10. Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
Location: Minnesota, Wisconsin
Threat: Development and zoning issues threaten to destroy a 26-mile stretch of a scenic river corridor treasured by outdoor-lovers.
WHAT IT MEANS: “These 10 rivers have a chance to be reborn, and to serve as models for other rivers all across America,” says Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers. Lobbying elected officials to protect rivers will help put protections in place for the health of not only the environment, but for us, too. And there are steps you can take in and around your home to help make sure your water resources remain clean.
American Rivers Presents the Top 5 Ways to Protect Clean Water:
1. Be waterwise. Fix leaky faucets and install WaterSense showerheads, toilets, and other fixtures. Also, monitor your water use on your bill and ask your local government about a home water audit. You can avoid drawing too much water from threatened rivers, and save money at the same time. You can find WaterSense products at the EPA's WaterSense site.
2. Spend time on your local river. Get together with other paddlers in your community and create a blue trail—the water equivalent of a hiking trail—to protect the river and improve recreation. Also, National River Cleanup 2009 kicks off this spring—organize or participate in a river cleanup at the American Rivers site.
3. Become a river activist. Your participation is key to the future of our rivers. Sign up for alerts and updates from American Rivers. You can also join river enthusiasts from across the country at River Action Day in Washington, DC, to meet with your elected officials and speak up for river protection.
4. Install a rain barrel. Using drinking-quality tap water on our lawns is wasteful, and puts additional strain on our rivers and water supplies. Rain barrels (a simple system that attaches to your downspout and collects rainwater) are a great way to catch and store rainwater for use on plants and trees.
5. Plant a rain garden. Improve water quality and help absorb storm water runoff in your neighborhood by planting a rain garden. Rain gardens use native, water-tolerant plants to absorb and filter water and help improve the water quality in your local stream by reducing storm water pollution.