Thursday April 10, 2003
Most Endangered Rivers of 2003 Announced

Mississippi's Big Sunflower River #1, Water Shortages Fuel Many River Crises

Source: American Rivers

The annual America's Most Endangered Rivers list highlights rivers facing the most acute peril rather than the worst chronic problems. It is not a list of the nation's most polluted rivers. Many rivers are on this year's list because of severe water shortages -- which have been inflamed to crisis proportions by widespread drought.

"America's seemingly insatiable demand for fresh water is nearing nature's limits," said Rebecca R. Wodder, president of American Rivers. "Lack of rain is only part of the story behind falling water levels in rivers coast-to-coast."

Extravagant waste and the destruction of critical watershed habitat have caused water shortages that are the primary threat facing five rivers on this year's list:

* The Klamath River (#2) in Oregon and California, where over 30,000 salmon perished in the warm trickle remaining in the river after irrigators took their share;

* The Ipswich River (#3) in northeast Massachusetts, where consumers pump so much water from the aquifers below the river that it periodically flows backwards in places before drying up completely;

* The Rio Grande (#5), where cities are looking to remove more water even though the river has dried up in stretches and twice failed to reach the sea in recent years;

* The Mattaponi River (#6) in Virginia, where the city of Newport News seeks to satisfy speculative future demands by constructing a reservoir in a remarkably pristine wetlands complex; and,

* The Platte River (#7), where failing groundwater reserves are the impetus behind proposed new dams and reservoirs that threaten a crucial wetland stopover for migratory birds.

American Rivers pointed to extravagant water waste as one of the underlying reasons for this large and growing problem. A chief culprit: irrigated agriculture, which accounts for 85 percent of the fresh water consumed in America -- far more than would be necessary to grow crops with modern technologies and techniques. Lavish federal subsidies and selective interpretation of Western water law compound these problems by removing the incentive for farmers to use water efficiently. Municipal water use is also skyrocketing, with new suburban "estate" homes and corporate campuses consuming far more water than traditional urban residences and businesses.

"Per-capita water use in America is the highest in the world, and our population continues to grow," Wodder said. 

Sprawl development is an important and growing contributor to water shortages, not just through increased use but also by fueling habitat destruction in the watershed. The spread of concrete, asphalt, and turf grass blots out wetlands, forests, and other habitat -- interrupting the natural movement of water between the surface and underground aquifers. As a result, streams in heavily developed and denuded watersheds experience both lower average streamflows and more frequent flash floods.

"Healthy watersheds capture and store water for human and natural needs, but sprawl development creates landscapes that shed water like a raincoat," Wodder said. "Water rushing down storm drains when it rains is water that won't come up from your well when it's sunny."

Noting that the American industrial sector has shown that it is possible to break the link between economic growth and water consumption, American Rivers called on the nation's leaders to reform the laws and policies that encourage water waste and fuel sprawl development. In particular, the group recommended trimming subsidies for irrigation water and price supports for thirsty crops in arid areas. Also, a significant portion of federal infrastructure dollars currently earmarked for conventional water infrastructure should be redirected to land protection, habitat restoration, and "green infrastructure" retrofits in developed areas.

Finally, to ensure that healthy watersheds will continue to produce fresh water for people and wildlife, American Rivers endorsed scientists' calls for the establishment of a national ecological water reserve - a guaranteed baseline of healthy river flows that are protected by law.

"The drought that is ushering in the 21st century is a wakeup call," Wodder said. "It's not too late to prevent many future water shortages, conflicts, and degraded habitats." 

A summary of this year's listed rivers is attached. For the complete 2003 America's Most Endangered Rivers report, point your browser to http://www.amrivers.org/mostendangered/2003.htm 

America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2003

#1, Big Sunflower River, Mississippi
Contact: Melissa Samet: (415) 482-8150
Threat: Flood control projects

Mississippi's Big Sunflower River is threatened by a pair of misbegotten flood control projects cooked up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and rashly supported by its Congressional patrons. Unless the Bush Administration's Environmental Protection Agency vetoes the Yazoo Pumps, the Corps will drain seven times more wetlands than private developers damage in a year nationwide. Without firm opposition from the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Corps will also scour 100 miles of the Big Sunflower's riverbed, destroying even more wetlands and stirring up a toxic stew of pesticides that have accumulated at the bottom of the river. 

#2 Klamath River, California, Oregon
Contact: Steve Rothert, (530) 478-5672
Threat: Irrigation withdrawals, hydropower dams, pollution

The federal Bureau of Reclamation is irresponsibly maximizing irrigation in the Klamath River basin, depleting the river and wreaking havoc on imperiled wildlife and imposing tremendous hardships on Native American and fishing communities. Unless Congress and the Bush administration bring water commitments back into balance with what nature can sustain, the nation can expect more tragedies like the staggering die-off of more than 33,000 salmon that occurred last September. 

#3 Ipswich River, Massachusetts
Contact: Peter Raabe, (202) 347-7550 ext. 3006
Threat: Groundwater pumping and excessive water consumption

Because of excessive groundwater pumping and municipal water consumption, especially in the summer, portions of Massachusetts' Ipswich  River run dry every year. If the state of Massachusetts fails to enforce existing regulations and act on opportunities to improve water conservation in the coming months, the Ipswich faces a future in which it will more frequently resemble a dirt road than a river.

#4 Gunnison River, Colorado
Contact: Brett Swift, (503) 827-8648
Threat: Inadequate flow, water exports

In drought-plagued Colorado, pressure is growing to use more water from the Gunnison River to fuel sprawling development near Denver on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Unless the Department of the Interior asserts the public's right to an adequate flow of water, the roar of the river may soon cease to echo off the walls of the spectacular Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. 

#5 Rio Grande, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas
Contact: Serena McClain, (202) 347-7550 ext. 3004
Threat: Excessive diversion and over-consumption of water

Although the Rio Grande has failed to reach the Gulf of Mexico for much of the past two years, this troubled river could take a further turn for the worse in coming months, as Albuquerque, N.M., and Brownsville, Texas, close in on new withdrawals, and federal agencies determine how to manage their dams that control water levels throughout much of the river. If the cities succeed in securing more river water and federal agencies stick with status quo operations, more stretches of the river could run dry and the last of the Rio Grande's native minnows could disappear forever.

#6 Mattaponi River, Virginia
Contact: Elizabeth Maclin, (202) 347-7550 ext. 3014
Threat: Proposed water supply reservoir

A proposed new water supply reservoir for the sprawling cities in Virginia's Lower Peninsula region threatens the ecological integrity of the Mattaponi River, one of the most pristine coastal river systems on the eastern seaboard. Unless state and federal agencies resist political pressure to rubber-stamp permits for this flawed project, the King William Reservoir will inundate hundreds of acres of wetlands and tribal sites, and up to 75 million gallons of water per day will be siphoned out of the river. 

#7 Platte River, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska
Contact: Chad Smith, (402) 477-7910
Threat: Irrigation and water supply development

Across the drought-stricken plains of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, the quest for more irrigation water is threatening to undermine an agreement  to secure adequate flows in the Platte River and to protect its adjacent wetlands. Unless the Interior Department and state governments stick to their commitments and resist pressure for reckless new water development, migratory birds of the Central Flyway may lose their most important stopover and the Platte River basin could become the scene of water conflicts that rival those along the Klamath or the Rio Grande. 

#8, Snake River, Idaho, Washington, Oregon
Contact: Rob Masonis, (206) 213-0330 ext. 12
Threat: Hydropower dams

The fate of the Snake River and its wild salmon runs is increasingly in doubt as federal efforts to recover the imperiled fish falter and hydropower operators put short-term revenues ahead of salmon protection. Unless the federal agencies and Congress step up their commitment to restore the endangered fish and Idaho Power Company improves operation of its Hells Canyon hydroelectric dams, it may soon be too late to save the salmon first documented in Lewis and Clark's journals.

#9 Tallapoosa River, Alabama, Georgia
Contact: Andrew Fahlund, (202) 347-7550 ext. 3022
Threat: Hydropower and water supply dams, overallocation

Although Alabama Power Company's R.L. Harris dam already has transformed a section of the Tallapoosa River into an ecological desert, more dams could be on the way as the sprawling Atlanta metro area seeks to develop municipal water supplies in the river's pristine headwaters. Unless Alabama Power reforms its abusive hydropower operations and Georgia and Alabama take up the call to use their water more efficiently, the river's unparalleled collection of aquatic wildlife is at risk. 

#10 Trinity River, Texas
Contact: Kelly Miller, (202) 347-7550 ext. 3008
Threat: Flood control and floodplain development

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Dallas are poised to unleash their bulldozers along the Trinity River, intending to knock down 34,000 trees to construct new levees, drainage swales, and toll roads that many ostensible beneficiaries don't want. Unless the public can persuade civil servants and elected officials to revise their vision for the city's riverfront, a remarkable urban oasis will be transformed into just another concrete cacophony.

Contact:
Eric Eckl, Peter Kelley, Margaret Bowman 
(202) 347-7550 

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