The
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in California was second on the
list. American Rivers cited two efforts to reenginer the water supply
and flood control systems as threats to the delta. This photo shows the
Sacramento River. This post features a list of 10 American rivers which
are according to from the U.S. environmental group American Rivers are
really endangered.
2. The Upper Colorado River
The
Upper Colorado River could become “a shadow of its former self” if two
new water diversion projects proceed, according to a report from the
U.S. environmental group American Rivers. The river is on a list of the
10 most endangered waterways compiled by the group.
3. Coosa River in Alabama
Seven
hydropower dams were built on the Coosa River in Alabama in the
mid-1900s, but American Rivers wants the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
to insist on protections for wildlife in the license for Alabama Power
Co. to operate the dams for the next 50 years.
4. Cedar River in Cedar Rapids
A
June 2008 image shows flooding along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa. The report says outdated flood management by the Army Corps of
Engineers is hurting fish and wildlife habitat.
5. Gauley River
U.S.
regulators should stop mountaintop mining in West Virginia that is
hurting the Gauley River, American Rivers says. The river is known for
its whitewater rafting.
6. Monongahela River
The
view from the Hot Metal Bridge of downtown Pittsburgh, where the
Monongahela River meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio. The
Monongahela is threated by pollution created by natural gas extraction.
7. Eastern Idaho’s Teton River
Eastern
Idaho’s Teton River provides habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout,
but there’s a proposal to rebuild the Teton Dam, which collapsed in
1976, killing 11 people and causing more than $1 billion in damage.
8.The Upper Delaware River
The
Upper Delaware River is at the top of American Rivers’ endangered list.
The group says the river in New York state, source for drinking water
for 17 million people, is threatened by chemicals from natural gas
drilling and poor flood management.
9. National Wild and Scenic Chetco River
National Wild and Scenic Chetco River in Oregon’s Kalmiopsis Wilderness and one of the areas proposed for mining.
10. North Carolina’s Little River
North
Carolina’s Little River provides drinking water and irrigation
supplies. A proposed dam would hurt the river’s health, American Rivers
says.
