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Conservation group lists most endangered U.S. rivers

fisherman
Fisherman Bob Scott hauls in a catch below the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River in Washington state  

April 10, 2000
Web posted at: 11:46 a.m. EDT (1546 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An annual list of the United States' most endangered rivers is dominated this year by streams said to be harmed either by what is put into them, or by what is taken out, according to the conservation group American Rivers.

Pollution, dams, and excessive water diversion placed 13 rivers on the group's 15th annual list of America's most endangered rivers.

Topping this year's list is the lower portion of the Snake River in Washington. Its designation was announced by the group in March to help push for the removal of four hydroelectric dams from a stretch of river critical to endangered salmon species.

Biologists have told the Clinton administration that chinook salmon and steelhead could disappear from the Snake river if dams continue to block their migration. Salmon live much of their lives in the open ocean but return to freshwater streams to spawn. Hydro dams are believed to kill off as much as 90 percent of the annual salmon spawn by blocking streams and affecting water temperatures.

  MESSAGE BOARD

Farm and factory operators say they rely on the dams for water and power supply and for allowing ships carrying farm crops and factory products to navigate easily. They assert that saving the salmon could damage the economy in the Snake and Columbia River regions.

The Clinton administration says it hopes to make a decision on the dam removal controversy by summer.

The Missouri River placed second on this year's list. American Rivers says massive engineering along the river, including locks, levees and concrete banks, has decimated wildlife there. Those projects may actually increase the likelihood of the types of floods that river engineering is intended to eliminate, the group said.

cyclists
Cyclists cross the Ventura River in California. Freshwater species in North America's rivers are disappearing as swiftly as those in tropical rainforests, according to American Rivers  

The Matilija dam on California's Ventura River earned the waterway the third spot on American Rivers' list. The group is calling for removal of the dam, which it says blocks steelhead runs and increases flood risks in rapidly growing Ventura County.

The other 10 rivers on the list, and American Rivers' reasons for concern:

4.  Copper River (Alaska): a proposed logging road threatens the largest wetland on the U.S. Pacific coast.

5.  Tri-State River Basins (Georgia, Alabama, Florida): pollution and water over-consumption in the Alabama and Chattahoochee Rivers and four of their tributaries.

6.  Coal River (West Virginia): "mountaintop removal," where valleys and streams are filled with rock and soil from coal strip-mining operations, is causing some streams to disappear.

7.  Rio Grande (Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas): pollution, dams, and water demand from growing cities like El Paso and Albuquerque.

8.  Mississippi and White Rivers (Arkansas): proposals to dredge, add channels and increase barge traffic would threaten ecosystems.

9.   North Fork Feather River (California): the construction of hydro dams has caused the disappearance of many fish species and has created lakes while leaving stretches of river dry at times.

10.   Clear Creek (Texas): proposed flood control engineering could ruin shrimp spawning grounds and shorebird habitat.

11.   Green River (Colorado, Utah): the Flaming Gorge Dam has altered river flow, imperiling native fish species.

12.   Presumpscot River (Maine): several 19th century dams impede the recovery of shad and Atlantic Salmon in the river.

13.   Clark Fork River (near Missoula, Montana): a proposed silver and copper mine near the river could imperil water quality.




RELATED STORIES:
Uranium mill still poisons Colorado River
April 6, 2000
Lower Snake River named most endangered U.S. waterway
March 13, 2000
Proposal aims to stem tide of Mississippi River pollution
February 29, 2000
Pallid sturgeon return to Missouri waters
February 15, 2000
Missouri River destiny hangs in the balance
January 20, 2000

RELATED SITES:
American Rivers

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