#american rivers

[grasshoppergeography]

River basin map of Lake Tahoe and surroundings (California and Nevada, USA) A custom map I made back in 2022.

[fatchance]

San Pedro River

The Biden administration must strengthen Clean Water Act protections to prevent the San Pedro River from drying up any further.

American Rivers published its annual list of the ten most endangered rivers in the United States. The San Pedro (No. 8) is my backyard river here in southeastern Arizona, though the Colorado River (No. 1) is of preeminent concern as well. Click through either link to access the entire report.

[rjzimmerman]

These US Rivers Are Endangered by Climate Change, Pollution

Learn which 10 rivers are the country’s most endangered waterways.

This video is long (hour and half), but it provides in depth information about the issues we face with freshwater rivers in the US. So, the excerpt below from this Treehugger story (click “Expand”) will probably be enough for many.

Excerpt from this story from Treehugger:

American Rivers curates its list based not only on the condition of rivers but also on the opportunities that Americans have to improve them. Specifically, rivers must meet three distinct criteria to be included on the list: First, they must be significant to human and natural communities. Second, the threats facing them and their associated communities must be substantial. And third, they must be the subject of a major decision or action in the coming year that members of the public can help influence.

The country’s most endangered river this year, American Rivers reports, is the Colorado River, which flows 1,450 miles through seven U.S. states, as well as two Mexican states. The river is currently operating at a deficit, according to conservationists, who say river management plans were created on the flawed assumption that the river carries nearly 18 million acre-feet—an acre-foot being the amount of water that it takes to cover a football field, 1 foot deep—when in fact, it only carries approximately 13 million acre-feet. And thanks to climate change, the river’s flow is expected to decline by another 10% to 30% by 2050.

Also in jeopardy are the No. 2 ranked Snake River in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, where endangered salmon species are being threatened by the existence of four federal dams, and the No. 3 ranked Mobile River in Alabama, which is being polluted by coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal for electricity.

Maine’s Kennebec, Penobscot, and Union rivers collected ranked No. 4 for the negative impact of dams on Atlantic salmon, while Alabama’s and Georgia’s Coosa River ranked No. 5 due to industrial agricultural pollution, including millions of tons of chicken feces from billions of chickens.

Rounding out the top 10 are: at No. 6, the Mississippi River, which is endangered by contaminants flowing into the river from farm fertilizers and fossil fuel facilities; at No. 7, California’s lower Kern River, which has been harmed by excessive water diversions for agricultural operations; at No. 8, Arizona’s San Pedro River, which has been negatively impacted by unregulated groundwater pumping; at No. 9, California’s Los Angeles River, whose future is threatened by mismanagement, pollution, and climate change; and at No. 10, Oklahoma’s Tar Creek, a Superfund site that has been sullied by decades of mining pollution.

[krispyweiss]

“Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment” Coming Dec. 15

Mickey Hart, Rhiannon Giddens, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Taj Mahal and Yusuf/Cat Stevens are among the artists slated to appear on “Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment.”

A joint effort of Playing for Change and the United Nations Population Fund, “Peace Through Music” features more than 200 artists representing nearly 40 nations. It airs at 9 p.m. Eastern Dec. 15 on the Playing for Change YouTube channel and benefits Conservation International, American Rivers, World Wildlife Fund, REVERB and the Playing For Change Foundation.

The trailer for the event is soundtracked by a Playing for Change version of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” and the words: “Indigenous wisdom can show us the way forward.”

“Through music, we eliminate boundaries, hierarchy and status” Playing for Change co-founder Mark Johnson said in a news release. “Through stories and ideas, we learn from our Indigenous ancestors how to listen to the rhythm of our planet.”

Ben Harper, Keb’ Mo’, Rosanne Cash, Slash and Robbie Robertson are among the other announced artists.

11/9/21

[yahoonewsphotos]

Ten most endangered rivers in the United States for 2017

American Rivers compiled a list of the ten most endangered rivers in the United States for 2017. Threats range from water demand and global warming to fracking and open pit sulfide mining. The organization is calling upon the Trump administration and Congress to prioritize and support innovative water management solutions to help protect rivers and clean water, calling it one of the most important conservation issues of our time.

Read more: Lower Colorado River tops list of most endangered in U.S.: ‘The future looks very bleak’ by Michael Walsh/Yahoo News

(PHOTOS: Charles Seifried, Justin Clifton, Amy Martin, Lee Cohen)

See more images of the most of endangered rivers in the U.S., 2017 on Yahoo News

[rjzimmerman]

Environmentalists and Dam Operators, at War for Years, Start Making Peace

Facing a climate crisis, environmental groups and industry agree to work together to bolster hydropower while reducing harm from dams.

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

The industry that operates America’s hydroelectric dams and several environmental groups announced an unusual agreement Tuesday to work together to get more clean energy from hydropower while reducing the environmental harm from dams, in a sign that the threat of climate change is spurring both sides to rethink their decades-long battle over a large but contentious source of renewable power.

The United States generated about 7 percent of its electricity last year from hydropower, mainly from large dams built decades ago, such as the Hoover Dam, which uses flowing water from the Colorado River to power turbines. But while these facilities don’t emit planet-warming carbon dioxide, the dams themselves have often proved ecologically devastating, choking off America’s once-wild rivers and killing fish populations.

So, over the past 50 years, conservation groups have rallied to block any large new dams from being built, while proposals to upgrade older hydropower facilities or construct new water-powered energy-storage projects have often been bogged down in lengthy regulatory disputes over environmental safeguards.

The new agreement signals a desire to de-escalate this long-running war.

In a joint statement, industry groups and environmentalists said they would collaborate on a set of specific policy measures that could help generate more renewable electricity from dams already in place, while retrofitting many of the nation’s 90,000 existing dams to be safer and less ecologically damaging.

The two sides also said they would work together to accelerate the removal of older dams that are no longer needed, in order to improve the health of rivers. More than 1,000 dams nationwide have already been torn down in recent decades.

The statement, the result of two years of quiet negotiations, was signed by the National Hydropower Association, an industry trade group, as well as environmental groups including American Rivers, the World Wildlife Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Another influential organization, The Nature Conservancy, listed itself as a “participant,” signaling that it was not prepared to sign the full statement but would stay engaged in the ongoing dialogue over hydropower policies.

[argentmane]

Susitna River, Alaska | Brian Okonek

Via: americanrivers.org

[recreation-law]

Americans most Endangered Rivers

American Rivers has released its list of Americas most endangered rivers which includes the Mississippi, Tijuana of CA, all rivers in Southern Appalachia, Passaic River of NY & NJ, Lower Rio Grande, Rappahannock of VA, Clearwater of ID, Susitna of AK, Calcasieu of LA & the Gauley of VW We must protect our rivers for water, for the environment for recreation and for our lives! https://rec-law.us/48nkzdb8

@AmericanRivers #CleanRivers #Paddlesports #RecLaw #RecreationLaw