America’s iconic rivers are becoming so dirty from pollution that they are becoming ‘endangered’
Rivers in the US are considered endangered due to extreme pollution and reduced protection of clean water.
A report from the American Rivers Association shows that all of New Mexico’s rivers, including the Rio Grande, Gila, San Juan and Pecos, pose the highest risk in the nation — and that more than 85 percent of the state’s residents depend of these systems.
Experts blame a loophole in the Clean Water Act of 2022, which means rivers that flow only seasonally are not protected from runoff from wastewater treatment plants, mines and industrial sites.
If the Clean Water Act is rolled back, the rivers that supply millions of people with drinking water will become polluted, making people sick and harming the ecosystem.
Other threatened rivers were identified as the Tijuana River in California and the Santa Cruz River in Arizona.
All New Mexico rivers are at risk after the Supreme Court struck down Clean Water Act safeguards that protect rivers and wetlands from pollution runoff from wastewater treatment plants, mines and industrial sites
U.S. rivers provide drinking water to local communities, serve as habitat for wildlife, and are stopovers for large migratory birds. Pictured: Duck River, Tennessee
The Duck River in Tennessee (pictured) is one of the three most biodiverse rivers in the world used for drinking water, agriculture and large-scale manufacturing
‘All the water is connected. We cannot allow pollution anywhere without risk to the rivers we depend on for our drinking water,” said Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental organization focused on protecting the nation’s rivers.
“Our leaders must hold polluters accountable and strengthen the Clean Water Act to protect our health and communities.”
The 2022 Supreme Court decision lifted protections for rivers that flow only seasonally (in fall and winter) when precipitation increases.
And that had a major impact on systems in New Mexico, because of the state’s drier climate; the rivers only flow during the rainy season or as a result of snowmelt.
“These statements run counter to established science and ignore the value that small streams and wetlands have to their broader watersheds, communities and economies, especially in places with arid climates like New Mexico,” the spokesperson said. report said.
New Mexico’s rivers provide clean drinking water, irrigation, rich cultural resources and shelter for fish and wildlife, making them essential to the environment and to approximately 87 percent of the population that depends on the rivers.
In addition to providing resources to the immediate area, pollution of the threatened rivers could also have more disastrous consequences if it spreads to rivers like the Rio Grande, which supplies water to approximately six million people and countless wildlife.
California’s Tijuana River was named one of the most endangered rivers because of pollution that is “making people sick,” said Kristan Culbert, deputy director of American Rivers.
Data is still being collected to determine how many people have been sickened by the river.
“We know that Navy SEALs have had to cancel training because of contaminated water; we have seen news reports showing rivers of raw sewage flowing into the Pacific Ocean,” California Rep. Scott Peters told me The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Farmington River (pictured) runs through Connecticut and Massachusetts and is one of the top 10 endangered rivers in the US. Rolling back the Clean Water Act means there will be an increase in toxic pollution, including waste and raw sewage, making rivers unclean and unsafe. Pictured: Little Pee Dee River, South Carolina
A survey released in December by the Rivers are Life coalition found that of 7,000 people surveyed, 86 percent reported that polluted waterways negatively impact human health. Pictured: Little Pee Dee River in South Carolina
Toxic pollution, including waste and raw sewage, pollutes the river’s waterways and carries it downstream, affecting people on both sides of the U.S. border.
“The Tijuana River has impacted the lives of countless community members from Mexico, the United States and indigenous peoples for decades,” said Courtney Baltiyskyy of YMCA of San Diego County.
“It’s not just the river that is threatened,” she said, “but also the region’s cultures, livelihoods, family homes and unique identity.”
Mississippi’s Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers are home to more than 450 species of birds, fish and wildlife, but are threatened by the Yazoo Backwater Pumps.
The pumps have been dubbed the “Zombie Project,” which is draining and damaging 200,000 acres of waterfowl habitat – an area larger than all five boroughs of New York City.
The project was approved in 1941 to control flooding, but instead inadvertently drained wetlands that serve as important stopover habitat in the U.S. for migratory birds, including waterfowl.
When turned on, the Yazoo Backwater Pumps move up to six million gallons of water per minute from one side of a flood control structure to the other.
Meanwhile, water bodies such as the Santa Cruz River have been added to the endangered species list due to the risk of water scarcity.
This river was once a desert oasis that dried up and was polluted for decades and has only come back to life in recent years, but climate change and water scarcity are threatening that progress, according to American Rivers.
Rolling back the Clean Water Act will hamper any progress the river has made to replenish itself, the association warned, and has called on the Biden administration and local lawmakers to pass a legislature that would protect waterways will re-enter.
A survey published in December by the Rivers are Life coalition found that of 7,000 people surveyed, 86 percent reported that polluted waterways negatively impact human health.
“I believe tackling waterway pollution starts with raising awareness and education, and encouraging people to take collective action,” said Chris Keefer, co-founder of Rivers are Life. Forbes.
“Our hope is that by learning how important rivers are to our communities worldwide, we can all take action to protect these vital waterways and recognize them as the lifeblood of our planet,” Keefer said.