AMERICAN RIVERS
April 17,
2007
America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2007
Press Release
By Brad DeVries (202) 243-7023; Garrett Russo
(202) 243-7073
http://www.americanrivers.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10199
American Rivers Announces Ten Rivers at Risk.
Rivers come in all shapes and sizes, and vary from pristine to heavily
polluted, but it’s generally safe to assume that water is a common denominator
among them. For the Santa Fe,
2007’s Most Endangered
River, water is the missing
ingredient, leaving this once-thriving river a dry, weed-choked ditch most of
the year. The Santa Fe River
can thrive again. The city of Santa Fe
has within its grasp the opportunity to bring its namesake river back to life,
restoring a community asset of tremendous value right in the heart of the city.
“Endangered rivers this year face a dizzying
array of threats from sewage pollution, proposals for unnecessary dams, power
lines to highways but all have one thing in common. These are rivers at a
crossroads,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of
American Rivers. “This is a make or break year for all ten rivers on the list.”
View America's
Most Endangered Rivers of 2007 press
room to find press releases for each river. See all of America’s
Most Endangered Rivers of 2007
#1 Santa
Fe River (New Mexico): Spring
runoff in the Santa Fe River
this year is giving residents a taste of what it used to be like to have a
living river in the heart of their city, and what it could be like again. Much
of the year, the Santa Fe suffers
from the biggest threat any river could face a complete lack of water. While
Santa Fe Mayor David Coss has promoted a visionary,
plan to restore water to the river, the city still has not taken important
steps to make that vision a reality. Until that happens, the Santa
Fe River spends
most of the year as a dry, weed-choked ditch, and is America’s
most endangered river in 2007.
#2 San
Mateo Creek (California):
Natural treasures should be enjoyed, not buried under millions of tons of
concrete. While that might seem like common sense, it apparently isn’t to
California’s Transportation
Corridor Agencies (TCA), which are bulldozing ahead with plans to build the new
Foothill Transportation Corridor South (FTC-South) right over the San Mateo
Creek. The road will wreck a long section of the creek, cut off access to
more than half of California’s
fifth most popular state park, and could doom the world-famous surf at Trestles
beach. All this for a road that experts agree is unlikely to do anything to
alleviate traffic problems in Southern Orange County.
#3 Iowa
River (Iowa): Iowans are
proud of their state’s high rankings for education and livability compared to
other states, but on a crucial aspect of the Clean Water Act the state lags far
behind the rest of the nation. Iowa
has failed to adopt adequate clean water rules thirty years after passage of
the Act that set a baseline and keep water quality from getting worse. If this
baseline isn’t enforced, the state will continue to issue permits that allow increased
pollution in the Iowa and other
rivers. Faced with a growing load of sewage from both humans and livestock, it
is no wonder that the Iowa River is one of the Most
Endangered Rivers in America
for 2007.
#4 Upper
Delaware River (New York):
The Wild and Scenic Upper Delaware River is the economic engine that drives a
strong tourism-based economy in upstate New York,
but that engine is threatened by a huge, proposed power line that would slash
through 73 miles of the river corridor. Leaders from across the region have
united in opposition to the plan, which would mean massive clear cutting,
ongoing herbicide use and seizing property from landowners by eminent domain.
#5 White
Salmon River (Washington):
For almost a century, Condit Dam in Washington
State has cut off salmon and
steelhead from an important Columbia River tributary.
With the facility producing only a small amount of power, dam owner PacificCorp has agreed to remove it, but the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) has yet to approve the deal. With so much hanging
in the balance, the White Salmon is one of the Most Endangered Rivers of 2007.
#6 Neches River (Texas): One of the last wild rivers in
Texas is facing destruction at the hands of state lawmakers, the city of
Dallas, and a Texas state agency that are poised to erase millions of dollars
in economic activity, hunting heritage that stretches back generations, and
Texas’ newest wildlife refuge. If these lawmakers get their way, a dam could
soon choke the Neches
River under the Fastrill
Reservoir, for a dam that is completely unnecessary.
#7 Kinnickinnic River (Wisconsin):
The Kinnickinnic River gathers up a heavy load of
problems as it flows through the heart of Milwaukee.
But none is more pressing than the accumulation of toxic sediments that are
choking the river and flowing out into Lake Michigan.
Due to the pollution, sedimentation, low water levels, and the negative impact
on Lake Michigan, the Kinnickinnic River
has been named one of the most endangered in America.
#8 Neuse
River (North Carolina): As
rivers go, North Carolina’s Neuse
is a tough one. But with more than a million people and two million hogs and
woefully inadequate sewage treatment in place for both in the Neuse
Basin, it is a river in deep
trouble. More than a million new residents are expected to move into the area
in the next two decades. This exploding growth will push the Neuse
past the breaking point unless the state seizes the opportunity this year to
control existing sewage pollution in the river and prevent new arrivals from
adding to the problem.
#9 Lee
Creek (Arkansas, Oklahoma):
One of Arkansas’ great natural treasures is facing the
prospect of drowning, and one in every six of the state’s rivers could be at
risk along with it. Lee Creek
is a picturesque vacation destination for thousands of people
every year and an economic engine for local economies all across Northwest
Arkansas. A local water district is trying to trade all of that
away for an unnecessary dam that will not only destroy the creek, but will open
many of Arkansas’ most treasured rivers and streams to similar obliteration.
#10 Chuitna River (Alaska):
Insatiable demand for coal throughout Asia has driven
demand into some unlikely places, even into the headwaters of Alaska’s
pristine Chuitna
River. Even in a state known for
wild salmon and wild country, the Chuitna is special,
producing some of Alaska’s largest
king salmon. A massive, proposed coal mine threatens the Chuitna,
with plans to dump millions of gallons of mine waste a day into the river’s
tributaries and wreck more than 30 square miles of the river’s headwaters.
About America’s Most Endangered Rivers
Each year, American Rivers solicits nominations
from thousands of river groups, environmental organizations, outdoor clubs,
local governments, and taxpayer watchdogs for the America’s
Most Endangered Rivers report. The report highlights the rivers facing
the most uncertain futures rather than those suffering from the worst chronic
problems. The report presents alternatives to proposals that would damage
rivers, identifies those who make the crucial decisions, and points out
opportunities for the public to take action on behalf of each listed river.
This year community leaders from all across the
country have joined with us, in the fight to help both their rivers, and their
communities thrive.
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American Rivers is the only national organization
standing up for healthy rivers so our communities can thrive. Through national
advocacy, innovative solutions and our growing network of strategic partners,
we protect and promote our rivers as valuable community assets that are vital
to our health, safety and quality of life. Founded in 1973, American Rivers has
more than 65,000 members and online supporters nationwide, with offices in Washington,
DC and the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest,
Southeast, California and
Northwest regions. www.AmericanRivers.org