See which U.S. rivers are considered the most endangered

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"Rivers are places wherever souls heal." Mismanaged, they tin beryllium devastating.

"Rivers are places wherever souls heal," but mismanaged, they tin beryllium devastating 02:14

Rivers are a captious root for drinking water, works and carnal life, and community, but crossed the U.S., galore of the largest and astir captious of these waterways — and the radical and wildlife they service — are at-risk owed to pollution, mediocre flood absorption and more.

"Rivers are places wherever people's souls heal and wherever they tin link with others. But that doesn't underestimate however important it besides is to admit that rivers tin besides beryllium a truly scary spot erstwhile mismanaged," said Heather Taylor-Miesle, elder vice president of conservation astatine the nonprofit American Rivers.

Growing up successful Appalachia, Taylor-Miesle has seen however almighty and damaging a stream tin beryllium erstwhile it unexpectedly rushes into people's homes. It's a panic galore successful Appalachia saw with Hurricane Helene successful September and that Kentucky has seen successful caller weeks.

"I don't deliberation that you get implicit mucking retired a basement," she said. "That is baggage that you transportation with you the remainder of your life."

But arsenic destructive arsenic rivers tin beryllium during flooding disasters, she said, "rivers are a large equalizer" — and that's precisely wherefore she and American Rivers are doing everything they tin to support them. For the 40th year, the nonprofit has enactment retired its database of "America's Most Endangered Rivers," a telephone to enactment that highlights immoderate of the biggest threats to immoderate of the country's astir captious waterways that interaction millions nationwide, and emphasizes what tin beryllium done to support them.

"Just due to the fact that you're affluent doesn't mean you get to bent retired astatine a river. Just due to the fact that you're mediocre doesn't mean you get to bent retired astatine a river," Taylor-Miesle told CBS News. "This is the spot wherever everybody is welcomed, and I deliberation that there's thing peculiar ... due to the fact that that is thing that tin modulate your heartbeat, it tin modulate your breathing, but it tin besides enactment you connected a way to being capable to support going."

Ten waterways made up this year's astir endangered rivers list, each facing a scope of threats from accrued flooding and inadequate catastrophe prevention and response, to pollution, aging infrastructure, logging, mining, border policies and more.

"Our h2o wealthiness is 1 of our top assets arsenic a nation," Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of American Rivers said successful a property release. "But contamination and utmost upwind are putting our rivers, cleanable water, and nationalist information astatine risk. When our rivers our sick, our ain wellness and prosperity suffers."

Taylor-Miesle told CBS News that portion the U.S. has a batch of rivers — galore of which request assistance — determination are 3 characteristics that suffice them to beryllium among the astir endangered: a value to radical and wildlife, a precocious magnitude of menace and hope.

"People telephone it astir endangered rivers. I deliberation these are the ones that bash bring maine the astir anticipation due to the fact that we person the astir contiguous accidental to marque a large difference," she said. "Every 1 of these rivers are ones that you tin find people, careless of their politics, careless of their background, reasoning precise strategically astir however we beforehand the issue, however tin we really marque progress."

These are the nation's astir endangered rivers successful 2025, according to American Rivers' latest report.

1. Mississippi River

Increased flooding and inadequate catastrophe effect enactment this river, which runs 2,350 miles crossed 10 states, astatine the apical of this year's list.

"The Mississippi is 'America's River,' flowing done the nation's heartland, providing drinking h2o for 20 cardinal radical and supporting captious agriculture, industry, and recreation," the study says. "But predominant and terrible floods are threatening lives and businesses, portion the river's wellness declines. Communities on the stream request important enactment for catastrophe prevention and response, arsenic good arsenic stream restoration — but the destiny of the Federal Emergency Management Agency hangs successful the balance. The Trump medication should modernize FEMA to amended stream wellness and maximize the safety, security, and prosperity of Mississippi River communities."

2. Tijuana River

The Tijuana River, which spans 120 miles crossed California and Baja California successful Mexico, is facing the terrible menace of pollution, according to American Rivers.

"This portion ... has been plagued with terrible contamination for decades," the study says. "Every day, millions of gallons of contaminated stormwater, sewage, harmful chemicals, and trash travel down the stream into the Pacific Ocean. Major national investments are needed to lick this increasing biology and nationalist wellness crises."

3. Rivers of Southern Appalachia

Southern Appalachia's rivers were thrust into the spotlight successful September erstwhile Hurricane Helene devastated the region's communities, hundreds of miles from wherever it made landfall successful Florida. That utmost upwind and the flooding it unleashed are lone 2 of the threats astatine play for the rivers' inclusion connected the database — unsafe dams and deficiency of national capableness besides contributed, the radical said.

"The rivers of Southern Appalachia weave a affluent tapestry, captious to the region's civilization and economy, and supporting an abundance of life. But Hurricane Helene devastated these rivers and communities with grounds flooding and landslides," the study says. "Federal, state, and section partners person already allocated resources to the region, but determination is simply a agelong roadworthy to betterment and mentation for the adjacent tempest successful the years to come. Together we indispensable proceed to reconstruct the rivers, put successful communities, and region unsafe dams to fortify the portion truthful radical and businesses tin thrive contempt progressively utmost weather."

4. Passaic River

Downtown Newark, New Jersey and Passaic River.

For New Jersey and New York's astir 80-mile agelong Passaic River, concern contamination remains the biggest threat, adjacent arsenic it remains a captious resource. The river's watershed is location to 10 reservoirs and 3 drinking h2o facilities serving much than 2 cardinal people, American Rivers says.

"The Passaic River has ever been a captious resource, supporting livelihoods and economical growth. But it has besides been severely contaminated by the chemic manufacturing industry. Thanks to the enactment of galore committed people, determination is present a program successful spot to cleanable up the contamination and statesman to reconstruct the river," the study says. "We admit the decades of effort that brought america present and impulse the national authorities to assistance spot this cleanup done to completion — restoring fisheries, boosting tourism and recreation, creating jobs, and improving nationalist health. At the aforesaid time, we impulse section residents to get to cognize the stream and assistance signifier the restoration."

5. Lower Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is the nation's third-longest stream and provides h2o for much than 6 cardinal people. Its little basin is often the lone root of water, according to American Rivers. And yet the reservoirs it supplies received debased concern compared to different large U.S. stream systems, making h2o scarcity, overallocation, aging infrastructure and borderline policies the top threats to the waterway.

"The stream is simply a captious economic, cultural, and ecological assets for radical and wildlife of the United States and Mexico. But contempt its immense worth to radical and nature, the stream has been nether changeless menace for decades," the study says. "Today, the information is obscurity much urgent than successful the Lower Rio Grande basin wherever h2o scarcity, pollution, and overallocation harm the stream and communities that trust connected it. The caller Minute 331 statement established a Binational Environmental Working Group, creating a captious accidental to beforehand conservation efforts and advocator for much-needed national backing to guarantee the stream tin proceed to enactment radical and nature."

6. Rappahannock River

Aerial presumption of Fredericksburg, Virginia connected Rappahannock River astatine sunset aft tempest with rainbow

Virginia's 195-mile-long Rappahannock River is simply a captious economical and cultivation assets for the state, arsenic good arsenic a important root for drinking water, according to American Rivers, but h2o mismanagement and a deficiency of readying person enactment the waterway successful danger.

"The stream is astatine hazard from a deficiency of h2o proviso readying that would safeguard and guarantee the aboriginal of the region's precious h2o resources for each beneficial users," the study says. "Increasing request for aboveground water, driven by colonisation growth, expanding industries similar information centers, and declining groundwater levels, airs a important menace to the river's wellness and sustainability. New authorities regulations necessitate determination h2o proviso plans, but a coordinated basin-wide attack is important to safeguard the Rappahannock."

7. Clearwater River Basin

Idaho's Clearwater River Basin is made up of aggregate forks of the Clearwater River, arsenic good arsenic the Lochsa and Selway Rivers, and is portion of the homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe, which American Rivers says spends astir $3 cardinal each twelvemonth to reconstruct section food populations. But commercialized logging, dredge mining and the operation of dams proceed to endanger the basin's survival, arsenic good arsenic the taxon that inhabit it.

"The stunning Clearwater River Basin successful the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest is known arsenic a 'Noah's Ark' for Chinook salmon, steelhead, westslope cutthroat trout, and bull trout due to the fact that its cold, clean, high-elevation streams volition beryllium capable to prolong food populations adjacent arsenic temperatures warm," the study says. "The cleanable h2o that filters done the aged maturation forests and fills 700 miles of streams is 1 of the astir invaluable resources the Forest produces. A caller onshore absorption program that relaxes restrictions connected mining and dam-building portion expanding commercialized logging could destruct habitat, trigger erosion, and pollute these exceptional streams. The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest indispensable onslaught a amended equilibrium to guarantee that timber harvest and different activities don't degrade cleanable h2o and different values."

8. Susitna River

Landscape changeable of the Susitna River disconnected of Parks Highway successful Alaska

Alaska's Susitna River flows much than 300 miles and has a watershed astir the size of West Virginia, providing a captious assets for salmon harvesting, hunting, recreation, tourism and more. But American Rivers has recovered that roadworthy construction, mining and contamination are threatening the stream and the wildlife that relies connected it.

"South-central Alaska's Susitna River is 1 of the astir pristine rivers successful the United States and supports the fastest increasing colonisation successful the authorities of Alaska. Home to an abundance of food and wildlife, the stream plays an important relation for Alaska Native communities and besides powers a beardown system babelike connected the renewable resources of sportfishing and hunting," the study says. "But the operation of an concern entree roadworthy to let for mining and lipid and state improvement threatens the area's earthy wealthiness and each who payment from a steadfast river. We indispensable halt national backing and expedited permitting for this destructive roadworthy task and support the Susitna's irreplaceable fisheries, h2o quality, and communities."

9. Calcasieu River

Southwest Louisiana's Calcasieu River spans astir 200 miles, serving arsenic a captious nursery to food and wildlife, including Pinky, the celebrated pink dolphin. The river, which has played a large relation passim history, continues to beryllium captious to the U.S. seafood industry, with astir one-third of each the seafood consumed successful the state coming from the state. But according to American Rivers, contamination has enactment each of this astatine risk.

"For centuries, the Calcasieu River has been the lifeblood of southwestern Louisiana, sustaining section communities, abundant wildlife, and thriving ecosystems," the study says. "But a past of chemic mismanagement and continued unregulated dumping of toxic chemicals poses an existential menace to the river's future. The Environmental Protection Agency indispensable update outdated national contamination power exertion standards for chemic plants, plastics manufacturers, and refineries operating on the river."

10. Gauley River

Coal mining contamination is threatening West Virginia's Gauley River, which American Rivers describes arsenic a spot with headwaters of a "scenic splendor" that fewer tin rival.

"The Gauley River fuels an outdoor-recreation system that generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually — captious gross successful a portion reeling from generations of boom-and-bust extractive industries," the study says. "The Gauley is simply a world-famous whitewater destination, beloved by kayakers and rafters from astir the globe. Yet, this aforesaid singular watershed faces a sedate threat: toxic contamination from ember portion mining successful the headwaters of the Cherry River, 1 of the Gauley's superior tributaries."

Li Cohen

Li Cohen is simply a elder societal media shaper astatine CBS News. She antecedently wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She chiefly covers climate, biology and upwind news.

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