When President Biden took office earlier this year, American Rivers prepared a bold blueprint for action that calls on the administration to investment in rivers and clean water. Priorities in the next year include reversing rollbacks that hurt ecosystems and communities, improving how we manage floodplains, and investing in a national dam removal initiative. One of our most important calls to action — and the one that’s closest to my heart — is to protect exponentially more rivers under the landmark Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Wild and Scenic designations safeguard rivers against future activities — like mining, development, or dams — that could do harm to the many benefits a river provides, like clean water and wildlife habitat. Further, because they require stakeholder input, they bring communities together around shared concern and care for local rivers and streams.

Right now, bills to protect over 6,700 miles of proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers and streams are making their way through the Congressional approval process. That includes the River Democracy Act, which would designate over 4,600 river miles in Oregon in one fell swoop; legislation that would nearly double the number of river miles protected in Montana, and a long-awaited bill to safeguard streams on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

Given that the total miles of protected rivers nationwide is just under 13,000, these new protections represent a 50 percent increase in the entire Wild and Scenic Rivers System. That’s pretty impressive.

Wild and Scenic designations don’t happen on a dime. They’re usually the hard-won result of people—everyone from passionate river lovers and business leaders to conversation groups and tribes— working together to make them happen. Most often, they’re the product of decades of trust building, stakeholder input and collaborative development.

While it feels like something is in the air for Wild and Scenic Rivers these days — or maybe in the water — current efforts are riding on decades of work. The Gila River in New Mexico, for example, was first proposed for addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System by Congressmen Manuel Lujan Jr., a Republican, and Harold Runnels, a Democrat, way back in 1974. The Gila is today once again proposed for protection.

So Wild and Scenic Rivers are having a moment. And, while that moment is overdue, it’s also right on time. Rivers in America remain vulnerable to damming, mining, oil and gas development, and other development pressures. Protections for our last, best rivers — these critical suppliers of clean water, vital habitat, reprieve and sanity — should be a top priority of the Biden administration. And, there’s a lot the administration can do. For starters, it should:

1. 1. Issue an Executive Order calling for protection of rivers and riverside lands by doubling the size of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System as a part of protecting 30 percent of Earth’s natural areas by 2030 (30 x 30) — and as a climate resilience strategy. Early progress can be made toward this goal by actively supporting the pending Wild and Scenic River bills in Congress.

• 2. Issue an Executive Order that directs each federal agency, as part of its normal planning and environmental-review processes, to emphasize the importance of identifying rivers with Wild and Scenic potential and to avoid or mitigate adverse effects on rivers identified as eligible for Wild and Scenic River designation under land-management plans or the Nationwide Rivers Inventory, until Congress has acted on their consideration.

• 3. Dedicate additional funding and personnel resources to the protection and management of Wild and Scenic Rivers.

We’re ready to work with the Biden administration on these and other important ways to protect and preserve the rivers that are so very key to the history, and future, of our country.

If Congress passes and President Biden signs every piece of current introduced legislation to protect rivers, approximately 6,700 new miles of rivers would be permanently off limits to future mining, development and dams. But that’s just a number.

One of the wonderful things about Wild and Scenic Rivers is how unique every individual designation is, and how often the process and structure of the protection reflects the unique character of the community that pursues protection for their river. With that individual flavor in mind, I wanted to share some stories about some of the exciting proposals making their way through Congress right now.

OREGON: Senators Wyden (D-OR) and Merkley (D-OR) announced the River Democracy Act in January after an unprecedented public process in which Oregonians recommended rivers on public land, such as our National Forests, that they wanted to see protected. The result is the introduction of legislation to protect Oregon’s greatest natural wonders — its rivers — to conserve clean drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat, and outstanding recreation that supports sustainable economic development across the state.

With over 2.5 million Oregonians getting their drinking water from Oregon’s public lands, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, it is not surprising that drinking water providers are strongly supporting Wyden and Merkley’s bill, which seeks to protect over 4,600 miles of rivers and streams in the McKenzie, the Deschutes, the Grande Ronde, the Rogue, Illinois and Nestucca river watersheds and elsewhere.

NEW MEXICO: The M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic Rivers Act would protect nearly 450 miles of the Gila and San Francisco rivers and their tributaries. Silver City, New Mexico, an incredibly vibrant community and the gateway to the Gila, is the seat of a county that is heavily dependent on mining, as well as the recreational, emotional and cultural benefits of the outdoors. The support for protecting the Gila is strong — even among the pro-mining residents and politicians, who want to see the benefits of a Wild and Scenic designation for the Gila to help the community diversify the county’s economy.

I have witnessed firsthand, on the river and in public meetings about protecting the Gila, some of the most deeply personal stories from business owners and mayors about the value of the river to their community and their families. One mayor said something to the effect of, “We don’t need to go to Disneyland, we have the Gila.” This is where residents of Grant County have spent generations fishing, camping, or just sitting with friends, parents and kids. And the Gila river watershed provides lifetimes of memories for free.  

MONTANA: The Montana Headwater’s Legacy Act would protect nearly 336 miles of rivers — nearly doubling the protection of the best, free-flowing rivers in a state that’s truly defined by rivers. Sections of the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone, Smith, Boulder, Rock Creek, and the Beartrap Canyon of the Madison are all included in the bill.

This campaign was born more than a decade ago out of a truly grassroots effort that has included an incredible amount of public outreach asking Montanans what they wanted to protect and why. This approach was groundbreaking and painstaking, including hundreds of meetings fully open to the public, some even advertised on local radio stations. The results speak for themselves, with over 3,000 Montanans and more than 1,000 Montana businesses voicing their support for significant new Wild and Scenic River designations.

WASHINGTON: In mid-February, Washington Senators Patty Murray and Derek Kilmer, both Democrats, announced they would reintroduce the Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which would protect 464 river miles and more than 126,500 acres flowing out of Olympic National Park and the surrounding National Forest. The Elwha, the Hoh, the Queets, the Bogachiel and the Quinault are just a few of the incredible rivers that would be forever protected under this legislation.

These rivers are extraordinary in so many ways, including in the amount of rain that falls annually in their watersheds and the massive size of the old-growth trees that rest in some of the logjams along their banks. The “OP,” as locals call the Olympic Peninsula, is also where I caught my first steelhead with my older brother in 1999. Spend a day on these rivers and you really feel a sense of awe. Immersed in the moss-covered canopy and torrential rain-swollen rivers has felt to me at times like going back in time.       

NOLICHUCKY: The Noli as the Nolichucky River is affectionately called, is a gem located in Tennessee and North Carolina that is home to a 7-mile, 3,000-foot deep gorge flowing through National Forest land that has been proposed for Wild and Scenic. This whitewater stretch has a dozen class II-IV rapids. The Forest Service has found the river “eligible,” recognizing its Wild and Scenic potential and providing administrative protection to the Nolichucky.

Some ask why we need to go the extra mile to permanently protect the Noli, since it already enjoys some temporary protection. One of the river’s chief advocates, Kevin Colburn of American Whitewater, put it best, “Just because you’re engaged doesn’t mean you should never get married.” We are hoping Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) of North Carolina, who is retiring in 2022 and who has introduced bills in Congress to protect North Carolina’s New and the Perquimans rivers as Wild and Scenic will champion the Noli as one of his final acts in the U.S. Senate.      

This is really just a snapshot. Development of Wild and Scenic proposals is underway on rivers across the nation. In California alone, Representatives Huffman (D-CA), Carbajal (D-CA)  and Chu (D-CA) are championing a number of Wild and Scenic bills, including the Northwest Mountains and Rivers, San Gabriels and Central Coast proposals, which total 684 miles of new Wild and Scenic River miles. 

In Michigan, we recently completed an assessment of Wild and Scenic potential. The state, known for its lakes, has a number of rivers worthy of protection, including the Huron, the Maple and the Brule. In Virginia, early-stage conversations about potential river reaches are ongoing.

In addition to this inspiring momentum, we’re starting to think bigger. Recently, I’ve been working with International Rivers Network, The Nature Conservancy, WWF and others to help develop strategies for durable river protections internationally, informed by our experience with the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In one positive development, the International Union for Conservation of Nature recently developed language to build an international support network of protected river systems akin to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

As part of our 2021 Blueprint for Action, American Rivers is calling on the Biden administration to make protecting rivers a priority as part of the President’s commitment to protecting 30 percent of Earth’s natural areas by 2030 (30 x 30). We will continue to provide the strategic vision, advocacy and outreach needed to pass the legislation currently under consideration.

The American Society of Civil Engineers recently released their new Report Card on America’s Infrastructure. And while America’s infrastructure receives a C- overall, our water infrastructure is faring far worse: stormwater infrastructure gets a D, wastewater infrastructure gets a D+, while drinking water leads the pack with a C-. The ASCE report is just one indicator of America’s need to look at its priorities and re-invest in basic necessities. And nothing is more necessary than clean water.

The recent American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is a good start at tackling this problem. The legislation directs $500 million for grants to States and Indian Tribes to assist low-income households pay for drinking water and wastewater services. The financial burden of these services often has a dramatic impact on low-income households who are required to allocate a greater percent of their income. The legislation also broadly makes $350 billion usable for “necessary investments” in water and sewer infrastructure.

While this funding is a good start, it is temporary and doesn’t fully get at the root of our clean water infrastructure challenges. A recent water infrastructure proposal, titled the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 invests $50 billion over five years in direct water infrastructure investment. Key to this program is that it invests $40 billion to capitalize low-interest rate loan programs for municipalities while also allocating $4.5 billion in grants to handle sewer overflows and water pollution control programs. The success of this Act is its balance of low-interest loan programs (which are a critical component to maintaining water infrastructure) and grant programs for low-income communities who often don’t have the financial security to procure an infrastructure loan.

When it comes to funding infrastructure, there are some key principles we need to take into account:

1. Invest in water – Too often our infrastructure funding prioritizes energy and transportation and leaves water behind. Water is largely dependent on strained local funding, which often isn’t enough to meet the clean water needs of those communities. To overcome this funding gap, water infrastructure needs federal and state investment.
2. Equity first and foremost – Because water infrastructure depends on local funding, low-income communities often struggle the most to make infrastructure investments. Even in cities that can afford more local infrastructure funding, commonly the lowest income communities (often communities of color) still don’t get the investment they need. Federal infrastructure legislation must ensure these communities get the investment they need.
3. Invest in natural solutions – Natural infrastructure solutions encompass a broad range of approaches that are cost effective, climate smart ways of addressing infrastructure challenges. In water infrastructure, these practices play a key role in complementing traditional concrete-focused infrastructure, that is often more expensive and less adaptable to changing climate trends. The Clean Water for Green Infrastructure Act is a great way to start building this key piece of water infrastructure.
4. Remember the source – Nearly two-thirds of our drinking water comes from rivers, and most of our wastewater ends up back in the same rivers. When investing in infrastructure, we need to make sure we are protecting naturally functioning rivers and water quality. Rivers are significant economic engines for the country, investing in them is also helping support the communities they run through, in so many ways.

We have a long way to go to build back our national water infrastructure. Natural, sustainable and equitable water infrastructure is the best way to support healthy communities and healthy rivers.

Almost two months into his new Administration, President Biden has taken important steps to address the issues of justice, the economy, public health and climate change. In late January, he signed an executive order putting climate change at the center of both domestic and foreign policy. This order includes things like rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, incorporating environmental justice into federal agencies’ missions and identifying how to ensure climate resilient solutions like natural infrastructure are incorporated into federal agency plans and programs. He’s also committed to reversing, rescinding or replacing a number of harmful regulatory rules the Trump Administration established that weaken environmental protections, including the Navigable Waters Protection Rule — also known as “The Dirty Water Rule.” 

As a part of the most recent COVID relief bill, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, measures were taken to assist every American on a number of topics – including water. In President Biden’s first major piece of legislation, he set a tone of inclusiveness and showed a glimpse of his plans to address environmental injustices. The bill allocates $500 million for grants to States and Native American Tribes to assist low-income households. Projections show that by 2022, one third of Americans will not be able to afford their monthly water bill, and Covid-19 has made water affordability even more critical and challenging at the same time. Additional funding ($30 million) has been allocated to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide and deliver potable water to Tribes across the country. These are only some initial steps to protect and restore our river and water systems, but they are essential in making our communities more resilient. 

From investing in clean water and healthy rivers to removing dams, addressing flooding and community health and providing renewed support for the Wild and Scenic River Act, we turn to American Rivers’ resident experts to learn about short and long term actions the new administration can take to improve the health and long-term resilience of the rivers we love and the communities that rely on them.

As the Biden Administration turns their attention towards long-term solutions for rebuilding from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s essential any future infrastructure or economic stimulus bill include investments in improving water infrastructure, flood management and watershed restoration. In American Rivers’ report, Rivers as Economic Engines, we call on Congress to invest $500 billion over 10 years to protect and restore our rivers and water systems. We recommend a framework that prioritizes investment in three main areas:

• Improve Water Infrastructure ($200 billion over 10 years) and encourage “One Water” solutions to maximize economic, social and environmental benefits. This includes ensuring safe and affordable clean water and sanitation – particularly in Black, Indigenous, Latino and other marginalized communities – by funding the improvement of water systems, and prioritizing investments that focus on green infrastructure and water efficiency.
• Modernize Flood Management ($200 billion over 10 years) to incentivize a shift from outdated flood management policies to a multi-benefit approach that protects communities, ensures public safety, and restores river health. This includes incentivizing natural infrastructure solutions for flood management and community resiliency and ensuring flood management plans that include climate resiliency planning and prioritize natural infrastructure or nature-based solutions.
• Restore Watersheds in Our Communities ($100 billion over 10 years) to restore rivers, make agriculture more water efficient and sustainable and improve recreation opportunities. This includes prioritizing integrated water management planning, incentivizing agricultural improvements including updating irrigation infrastructure, and developing a new 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps that will restore river and riparian habitat and improve recreational access.

These investments will not only enhance our environment, make communities more resilient and ensure more equitable access to clean water, but they will also create the jobs we need to build back better.  

The House has also introduced HR. 2 “The Moving Forward Act”. This legislation is for $1.5 trillion to help rebuild American infrastructure — addressing roads, bridges, and transit systems, but also schools, housing, and broadband access. The legislation also includes over $65 billion for improvements to safe drinking water and wastewater systems and needs. If passed, these investments will help respond to the critical water needs of underserved, Indigenous and communities of color.

We have an historic opportunity to restore rivers and clean water while building back better,  stronger and more equitably from the impacts of COVID-19. Tune into our most recent episode of We Are Rivers to learn more about American Rivers’ priorities for the Biden-Harris administration and the opportunities to invest in solutions that make everyone stronger. 

This is a guest blog by Chandra Brown, Director of the Freeflow Institute.

On a beach deep within the ancient canyons of Utah’s Green River, a group of aspiring writers read their words aloud to one another. The rawness of the place inspires both vulnerability and bravery within the group. After the morning’s discussion, the writers pack away their notebooks and pens and continue downstream, toward new adventures and fresh stories. Imagine yourself in a Freeflow Institute writing workshop, where students and instructors gather on the river, learning, exploring, and creating outside, in some of the most compelling landscapes in the west.

We built Freeflow Institute around the act of sharing rivers with people. We collaborate with universities to build accredited courses that teach various forms of storytelling, creative writing, journalism, and, most recently, water and Indian law. We curate creative and educational experiences in important places, on rivers and in wilderness, to bring people closer to the spaces deserving of protection and reverence. We build deeper connections to landscapes, to ideas, and to one another when we learn together, outside, bonded by sun and sand. Ultimately, we strive to inspire our students to consider their own place within the system, finding themselves a part of the system, rather than apart from it. We hope they awaken their capacity to speak for the landscape, write about it, and thrive within it.

As a river guide in the Grand Canyon with family roots that extend into the northern Arizona desert, I am committed to creating opportunities that allow writers, artists, and leaders to experience the rivers that define their homeplaces.  This year, Freeflow Institute will offer six unique courses throughout the West. Each program features an established leader, a creative expert in the field of journalism, creative writing, law and policy, or communication.

In 2020 we created The Freeflow Foundation, which exists solely to offer scholarships to help offset the cost of tuition and travel expenses on Freeflow workshops for deserving students, as well as provide extra guidance, gear, and resources for those unfamiliar with wilderness or river travel. This year, in partnership with American Rivers, we will offer two scholarships with Indigenous students in mind – one in the Northern Rockies, and another in the Southwest, specifically intended to support members of BIPOC communities in their pursuit of innovative educational experiences.

If you or someone you know could benefit from a course with Freeflow Institute, please share our scholarship opportunities. Journalists, educators, nonprofit communicators, university writing students, science writers, creative writers, and environmental writers will also find Freeflow workshops valuable. Established and emerging writers and artists of all backgrounds, genres, and skill levels are encouraged to apply. There is NO prerequisite of prior publication or formal education. Students should be simply compelled to learn about writing as a means of educating, expression, activism, or fostering connection to places and people.

For the 2021 season, the following locations and dates include:

• Green River Field Institute, with Heather Hansman / Desolation Canyon, Green River, UT / June 2021
• Blackfoot River Workshop, with Chris La Tray / Blackfoot River, MT / June 2021
• The Ecology of Wisdom, with CMarie Fuhrman / South Fork Salmon River drainage, ID / July 2021
• The Law of People and Place: the Crown of the Continent / Flathead and Two Medicine Rivers, MT / July 2021
• Gates of Lodore Workshop, with William deBuys / Green River, UT / September 2021
• Rio Grande Workshop, with Francisco Cantú / Rio Grande, TX / October 2021

This blog was co-authored by Emma Reesor, Executive Director of the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project and Fay Hartman, Conservation Director Colorado River Basin with American Rivers. 

In south central Colorado, the Rio Grande River ties together generations of people and communities across the San Luis Valley. Braided together by shared ethics of caring for land and water, everyone in the San Luis Valley depends deeply on the Rio Grande – for their livelihoods, the rich diversity of wildlife, and activities they enjoy, as well as their connection to the rich history of people who have come before them. Water management has always been a challenge in this arid region, and our new film, Through Line, showcases  a new generation of water managers, who are facing challenges like climate change, growing pressure to the water supply, and renewed water export threats head on. 

“Everything we do revolves around it. The river is the community. It makes us whole. It completes us,” says 4th generation San Luis Valley farmer Doug Messick in Through Line.

Today, the Rio Grande is more important than ever, providing critical benefits for the community from water for agriculture and recreation to important wildlife habitat and clean drinking water for local and downstream communities. Like many other southwestern rivers, the Rio Grande faces many challenges, including degraded habitat, over appropriation of water, and decreasing flows caused by drought. Communities across the San Luis Valley recognized these threats and developed the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project (RGHRP) in 2001, to restore and conserve the health of the Rio Grande for the diverse ecological and human communities who depend on it. Over the past 20 years, the Restoration Project has partnered with farmers and ranchers, state and federal agencies, local communities, and other non-profits to address challenges facing the river through holistic restoration projects that improve fish and wildlife habitat, agricultural water use, recreation opportunities, and overall river health.

The San Luis Valley community has come together to restore the Rio Grande because the region depends on this shared and finite resource. Through Line showcases the many ways the river provides for the community – benefits that extend beyond the river corridor across the entire Valley, as water flowing in rivers and streams is inherently linked to the groundwater below. 

Today, a new challenge faces the river and community, in the form of a water export proposal. Renewable Water Resources (RWR) is proposing to pump 22,000 acre-feet of water from the San Luis Valley’s confined aquifer and export it from the Valley to urban communities on Colorado’s Front Range. This proposal would reduce aquifer sustainability, permanently dry up at least 20,000 acres of farmland, and negatively impact the rivers, streams, and wetlands that give life to the local communities and wildlife populations. The San Luis Valley is united in opposing the water export because it threatens the very backbone of the community, its water supply. 

Through Line celebrates the importance of protecting and restoring the Rio Grande. It describes both the history and future of water management in the Valley through the voices of modern managers—specifically a growing number of women in a historically male-dominated profession— working together to ensure that the needs of communities are met alongside the needs of the river itself, underscoring that while the challenges may be many, “the future health of the Rio Grande is in good hands” as Karla Shriver describes. The film touches on just how detrimental the water export proposal would be for the Valley, the river, and all that depend on it. 

“If our little community doesn’t work together to protect our land and water, everything’s lost,” says Ronda Lobato in Through Line. And she’s right. The Rio Grande and San Luis Valley are a magical part of Colorado and the southwest. A healthy, flowing Rio Grande ensures this special place will continue to thrive today and in the future. 

A series of punishing winter storms has wreaked havoc with the Jackson, Mississippi’s drinking water system, cutting thousands off from running water. Two weeks after the shutdown occurred, some residents of the city are still facing a lack of running water while many others still have boil water advisories. While this crisis was initially caused by winter storms, it is really an indication of a much deeper and persistent problem. Water infrastructure in the United States is in terrible disrepair, and disproportionately so in communities of color. Just last week, the American Society of Civil Engineers released its infrastructure report card, with dams and levees receiving a D grade, waste water and stormwater receiving D grades and drinking water systems receiving a C minus.

The systemic water infrastructure challenges facing Jackson, a majority Black city, has a long history rooted in segregation, with impacts on all of its infrastructure. But the water crisis is among the most egregious, because of how basic a need for clean water is to human health and well-being. In the middle of a pandemic, where hygiene is a critical need, it is abhorrent that people in a country as advanced as the United States should be without water for more than a day, let alone two weeks. And this situation isn’t isolated to Jackson — Indigenous communities, like the Navajo Nation, face access issues, due to a lack of water infrastructure, and Latinx communities through California’s Central Valley face a similar challenge.

This crisis is only going to grow, unless we take bold action. Climate change continues to have an outsized impact on water management, creating weather extremes – more drought and flooding. It is estimated that there is a water main break in the U.S. every two minutes – the U.S. woefully underfunds water infrastructure. Water infrastructure is typically funded solely through the local level through local water rates and fees. Unfortunately, the amount of money available locally is often inadequate to solve the massive need. This then leads to water shutoffs and other punitive actions which are disproportionately felt by communities of color and low-income populations. 

The solution to these challenges is two-fold. First, we need state and federal investment to update and maintain drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. For every dollar spent on transportation, the federal government provides $0.25. And most of the rest of those funds are state resources. In contrast, for every dollar spent on drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, the federal government provides $0.04 or less.

Second, water funding needs to be focused on communities that are in most dire need – communities like Jackson, where infrastructure challenges are rooted in segregation and systemic racism. Their citizens are not going to see equity in drinking water access, flood management or wastewater services until we, as a society, commit to providing the resources they need – the resources they deserve.

American Rivers has outlined water investment solutions our 2021 blueprint for action for the Biden-Harris administration. The residents of Jackson, and communities nationwide, have waited too long. It’s time to fix this problem and invest in healthy rivers and clean water for all.

Late last fall, a new dam and reservoir project was proposed on the East Fork of the Virgin River in southwestern Utah, just upstream from Zion National Park. The proponents of the project, Kane County Water Conservancy District, argued that the proposed $30 million dam would be relatively “small” by dam standards (a mere 90 feet high!) and the resultant Cove Reservoir would impound just over 6,000 acre-feet of water. But all dams can have outsized impacts on free-flowing rivers and the fish, wildlife, and ecosystems that depend upon them.

The East Fork Virgin River supplies water to Utah’s first Wild and Scenic River, the Virgin River, which carved the precipitous canyons of Zion National Park. The river is also home to two endangered fish (the woundfin and Virgin River chub) and the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. American Rivers was skeptical that a new, nine-story dam would benefit these species, as was claimed by developers in the project proposal and Draft Environmental Assessment (EA). You may know that an EA is an abbreviated environmental analysis meant for projects that would not cause significant, adverse impacts, but projects that do have the potential to cause significant harm often require a more thorough and lengthy Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

On February 24, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) determined that due to the extensive concerns brought in the comments submitted during the Draft EA, the agency would require a full EIS for the proposed Cove Reservoir project later this spring. The EIS process will give those who care about the Wild and Scenic Virgin River, Zion National Park and endangered species more opportunities to weigh in on this dubious, taxpayer-funded project, which has been designed to benefit just 6,000 acres of agricultural lands in Kane and Washington counties. American Rivers, along with our local partners, have discovered that nearly two-thirds of those agricultural lands that may benefit from the project have already been developed into commercial and residential development projects, bringing the legality of the project into question as well.

We realize that environmental analyses of proposed dam projects can be technical, full of jargon and confusing. But we’ve got your back: The comments submitted by American Rivers and our partners have slowed this damaging project and has positioned the East Fork Virgin River to receive the in-depth environmental analysis it deserves. This means that there will be more opportunities for you to weigh in on this proposed project later this spring. In the meantime, you can keep track of the Cove Reservoir Project through NRCS on this website.

If you had lived in Oregon in late 2019, and perhaps you did, you would have received an unprecedented invitation from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). The gist of it was this request: “Tell me about the rivers you love. Tell me the rivers and streams with the cleanest water, the best recreation, and that are the most important to fish and wildlife. Tell me which rivers you want us to protect.”

In the months to follow, Wyden and his team, with help from partners like American Rivers, collected nominations for streams and rivers that Oregonians care to protect and preserve. And Oregonians definitely care. Wyden’s call was met by more than 15,000 nominations. Everyone from hunters and anglers to outdoor businesses and elementary school kids weighed in asking Sen. Wyden to protect their most cherished rivers and streams including those in the McKenzie, the Deschutes, the Grande Ronde, the Rogue, Illinois and Nestucca river watersheds. Importantly, ahead of this public call, Sen. Wyden worked at the government-to-government level to invite and incorporate input from sovereign tribal nations.

The momentum from these asks and the feedback received has carried forward and culminated in the recently introduced River Democracy Act, the most meaningful Wild and Scenic Rivers effort since the act was passed in 1968 through a bipartisan vote in the Senate of 92-8.

A Wild and Scenic is sort of like the national park system for rivers. It protects the free-flowing nature of rivers and safeguards them against damming and harmful development, while still leaving room for river management that is in line with river conservation. A Wild and Scenic designation also protects 1/4-mile of land on each side of a designated river, making this a powerful tool for protecting the full suite of resources — habitat, water, food — that are so important for wildlife and overall watershed health. 

The River Democracy Act would protect over 4,600 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon but Sen. Wyden is protecting far more than miles of rivers or acres of high-value riverside land. His sweeping act defined by an unprecedented public process would protect Oregon’s most valuable natural resource, which provides clean drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat and supports Oregon’s outdoor recreation economy. According to Earth Economics, that economy supports 224,000 jobs statewide and generates $15.6 billion in consumer spending. The legislation supports good hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation, and supports small businesses as more and more Oregonians find refuge in the outdoors.

The potential benefit of the River Democracy Act is huge. And, inspiring. Especially when you consider that most of the streams up for protection are small, easy-to-neglect tributaries that are vital to the health of better-known rivers.   

When I saw the call, my family and I crammed into our 2005 Toyota 4-Runner and wandered our way into the Oregon wilds to find the small streams that we thought should be protected. Watching my kids discover these lesser-known but incredibly vital creeks moved me. In so many ways, small streams — even tiny ones — are like salmon to a grizzly bear. Rivers may be the more charismatic megafauna, and for good reason. But here’s the thing: Without all the little streams, bigger rivers would stop chugging along — they simply wouldn’t exist at all.

The streams we fished, floated, dipped in and marveled at are rare havens, where creatures escape the impacts of climate change, and farmers and ranchers make sustainable livings. They provide drinking water and offer refuge — for fish and birds and mammals, and for us. Every single one is worthy of its own blog post, story, rallying cry and protection.

Wyden said: “Rivers and streams are Oregon’s lifeblood, providing clean drinking water for our families, sustaining our thriving outdoor recreation economy, and nurturing the quality of life that brings new investments, businesses and jobs to our state.” And it’s true — not just for Oregon, but also for rivers and their tiny counterparts across the nation.

The River Democracy Act does something else that’s important, and timely. It recognizes the importance of protecting sources for drinking water — it sees the forest and the threats posed to the forest by climate change. The bill establishes a new national source for funding to restore rivers that have been devastated by fire and that provide drinking water, such as those that burned in Oregon in 2020. 

And yet, even if the River Democracy Act becomes law, the nearly 7,500 miles of rivers and streams protected in Oregon will still represent a miniscule fraction of Oregon’s 110,994 total miles of rivers. Just 0.004 percent of the 3.5 million miles of streams and rivers in this country are protected as Wild and Scenic. Sure, a Wild and Scenic designation isn’t the only way to protect these rivers. But it is a powerful and arguably underutilized tool.

And right now, river protectors have momentum on our side. Biden’s pledge to advance the protection of at least 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030 comes out of a growing recognition of the immense value these resources provide, and the myriad ways they are threatened. Wild and Scenic protections like the River Democracy Act move this vision forward.

The River Democracy Act still has to make its way through Congress and onto the President’s desk. But legislation like this one, and the process that led to it, move us in the right direction. We have to be ambitious and bold when it comes to our rivers and streams. Because as ambitious and bold as we might be, the threats to rivers are doubly perilous. It’s a David and Goliath situation. And while Goliath may not know it yet, he needs healthy rivers and streams, too — so it’s a battle David just might win.

This blog was written by Page Buono & Sinjin Eberle, American Rivers Communications Director, Intermountain West.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve focused our attention on the recent study published by the Center for Colorado River Studies about the future of the Colorado River, given some alarming new data synthesized by the Center. You’ll likely recognize the authors—Kevin Wheeler, Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn, Brad Udall and others—who are no strangers to ongoing dialogue about the river. In our first post, we covered the broad takeaways, the potential ramifications of the study’s finding on water management in the West, and on the importance of the inconvenient science it elevates. In the second post, our “Changed River” edition, we let the line “The Colorado River has been profoundly altered from its highest reaches to its delta” percolate and came out even more committed to the preservation of the river and inspired to consider and address new challenges revealed by the study that will demand even more aggressive action on behalf of the river.

In this, our “Climate & the River” edition, we’ll highlight findings from the study that underscore how important it is that, as we look to the future, we model future hydrology not only by understanding the past, but by looking ahead to the impacts of back-to-back and longer-term droughts paired with warming temperatures that precipitate aridification. As climate scientist Brad Udall likes to say, it’s a “hot drought,” where warmer temperatures are leading to less water in the river, even if precipitation is actually remaining roughly the same.

The stakes of including, or ignoring, the likelihood of a hotter and drier future in our decision making are high. Authors open their study with this quote for a reason:

“The likelihood of conflict rises as the rate of change within the basin exceeds the institutional capacity to absorb that change.” Wolf, A. T., S. B. Yoffe and M. Giordano (2003).

If you’re eager for the takeaways, you can skip to the bottom of this post. If you’re curious about how they arrived there, and why, read on!

The assumptions we make to inform future management are critical, and when it comes to predicting future hydrologic conditions that answer the questions: “How much water will be available? In what form? And when?”, it is irresponsible not to model and plan—to the greatest extent possible—for the conditions climate science predicts. 

To that end, the authors compiled diverse sets of data to represent a range of past and future conditions and applied them to the management alternatives that we highlighted in the first blog of this series. The findings of their analysis underscore discrepancies between projections that look solely to the past, those that ground themselves in recent hydrologic regimes, and those that forecast to the future based on various climate projections.  

Currently, the Bureau of Reclamation utilizes two different hydrologic model sets, one called the Direct Natural Flow (DNF) and the other called Stress Test hydrology. Each model is derived from the average flows across different periods in history. The DNF model relies on estimated natural flows from 1906-2018. Authors of the study point out that this 113-year period includes what’s referred to as the “20^th century pluvial period” from 1906-1929, an unusual, bountifully wet period, from a hydrologic perspective. According to Udall, the patterns represented by the DNF data are unlikely to re-occur in current management timeframes. The Stress Test hydrology skips this period and jumps to a 31-year range between 1988-2018, which includes both high flow years, and years of drought beginning in 2000 – what the authors refer to as the ongoing “millennium drought.” In addition to those, authors integrated or developed the following forward-looking data sets:

Now, if that looks super technical, it’s because it is! These detailed and diverse data sets allowed the authors to model unique scenarios, including three different scenarios of extended drought, all of which have occurred in the past, and for decreases in runoff associated with the anticipated effects of aridification. They chose these hydrology sets to test alternative management strategies under long periods of low runoff, and the kind of runoff we might see under increasingly warmer temperatures, both of which the authors describe as “…plausible futures that should be considered in planning purposes.” The range of futures hydrology predict average flows at anywhere from 14.76 million acre feet (maf), the flows modeled under the DNF hydrology scenario, and down to 9.71 maf a year under the RCP 8.5_100 data set.

The authors integrated these hydrologic scenarios alongside multiple scenarios for consumptive use and management in an attempt to better understand possible future impacts to the Colorado River, and those who depend on it.  As the study points out: there is more work to be done here, and the authors hope this inspires future studies that imagine more management scenarios. But even though they aren’t comprehensive, the overall observations the authors make after running these scenarios are prescient, and compelling.

In a nutshell, the authors state that “climate change is causing flow declines, and additional declines are likely to occur,” and point to the following as both evidence and inspiration for more creative thinking as we plan for the future:

• Between 2000-2018, flows in the Colorado River were approximately 18% less than from 1906-1999.
• The ongoing drought and low-flow years that we’ve seen since 2000 are, quite likely, not going away any time soon. And even they may not be accurate representations of the future because as temperatures rise and catalyze further aridification of the region, more dramatic declines in flows are likely.
• Given the unpredictability of the future paired with the immense likelihood of less, not more water, is it incumbent upon water managers and users to plan and think proactively and creatively.   
• The DNF hydrology predicts approximately 2 maf/year more than we’ve seen the last 20 years, while the RCP 8.5_100 hydrology predicts nearly 3 maf/year less than we’ve seen in the last 20 years. As Udall says, that 5 maf range is, frankly, enormous.

Authors warn that these conditions paired with unrealistic aspirations for development of future flows will “result in a difficult, basin-wide reckoning.” Incremental tweaks to the management of the river may no longer work, and the study calls upon us to think now about a drier future, not to wait until we’re there. And perhaps to acknowledge that, in many ways, we already are.

It was the evening of October 1, 2012 at the Rick McDevitt Community Center in Four Corners Park. The cinder block walled room was filled with community members interested in learning about the city’s plans for stopping the flooding and combined sewer spills in their neighborhood. Just 3 months prior, a 25-year storm delivering 3.5 inches of rain in just four hours flooded streets and filled basements and backyards with toilet paper and sewage. It was then the Mayor promised a plan within 30 days for addressing the problem.

Seven years and two Mayors later, the community is still flooding, and many residents still feel fear each time it rains. While the City has implemented some solutions, they are not of the scope or on the scale needed to address the problem. So, what is needed?

At American Rivers, we believe that to implement equitable resilient urban water management and address the systemic problems like those in Atlanta’s Intrenchment Creek headwaters, you need four things: engaged, inclusive community leadership; commitment from elected and government leadership; equitable and resilient water management plans, policies and practices; and sustainable funding mechanisms to make implementation possible. Our collaborative Intrenchment Creek work to date has focused on the development of community leadership and plans, policies and practices recognizing that government leadership and funding often flow from these.

We have successfully developed a plan for addressing flooding and combined sewer spills in the Intrenchment Creek headwaters.  We have successfully completed what we hope is a catalytic interstate highway green infrastructure project in the headwaters. And community leaders have officially launched a watershed focused advocacy group to sustain and implement the work going forward.

The Outcome-based Integrated Plan:  The Intrenchment Creek One Water Management Task Force, a collaboration convened by American Rivers and Eco-Action, consisting of community leaders and 18 non-profits, State and City government agencies as well as public and private developers came together in 2017 in order to address two pressing needs: 1) the need for an outcome-based plan that would finally seek to address the scale and scope of the flooding and combined sewer spill problem in the neighborhoods and 2) the need for related community benefits that would support long-time residents to stay in their homes and communities.  We worked closely with our Intrenchment Creek partners and secured the services of Sherwood Engineers to develop a roadmap for equitable, resilient stormwater water management for the Intrenchment Creek Stadium redevelopment area.

The Intrenchment Creek One Water Management Plan: Advancing Equity and Addressing Flooding and Combined Sewer Spills in the Heart of Atlanta lays out a solution set that, if implemented, will manage 100 percent of the 25-year storm and 96 percent of the stormwater in a 100-year storm, thereby addressing flooding and combined sewer spills and related quality of life and health issues in the affected neighborhoods. The completed plan can be found here.

Projects: We convened an effort with the Intrenchment Creek One Water Management Task Force partners to pilot an interstate green infrastructure project in the uppermost headwaters of Intrenchment Creek – a first step toward retrofitting the highways to address the million-plus gallons of water that’s shed from the roads into the overtaxed combined sewer system. The Georgia Department of Transportation voluntarily retrofitted an area within the I-75/85 and I-20 interchange to include green stormwater infrastructure. More about that project can be found here.

Sustained local leadership: As the Task Force winds down, having completed its work, these same community leaders have now formed a local watershed organization – the Intrenchment Creek Community Stewardship Council – to continue the advocacy work needed to implement the plan in upcoming development projects, craft collaboration and advocate for policy change. Some of the members have been advocates for equitable and sustainable development in the area for over thirty years, while others—such as co-chairs Jason Dozier and Chris Lemons—represent the enthusiasm of the next generation. Many of the leaders sharpened their clean water advocacy skills at the very first Atlanta Watershed Learning Network, a course co-created by Eco-Action and American Rivers. And now we are at an inflection point in the work. We know there is a long road ahead to rectify the historical injustices that have led to the chronic flooding caused by the large-scale displacement of people of color in exchange for wide parking lots and highways. American Rivers looks forward to supporting the Intrenchment Creek Community Stewardship Council in their important work. First on the list is their campaign to advocate for a stronger stormwater ordinance from the City that works for everyone, which supports their long-term effort to create a neighborhood that provides for existing residents while simultaneously welcoming new residents to the neighborhoods that are quickly becoming the Gateway to Atlanta.

Please consider supporting the ICCSC and, if you are in Atlanta, find the creek under the asphalt or where it daylights by using the Intrenchment Creek Map and Guide, which was produced in collaboration with community leadership and highlights assets throughout the watershed.

By the way, did we mention we launched a Intrenchment Creek Story Map? We’d love for you to check it out.

Despite the challenges of working through a pandemic, river restoration practitioners continued to pursue dam removal projects in 2020 to revitalize local economies and communities and reconnect 624 upstream river miles for fish, wildlife and river health. Sixty-nine dams were removed in 2020 across 23 states, including: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

A total of 1,797 dams have been removed in the U.S. since 1912. The states with the most dam removals in 2020 were Ohio (11), Massachusetts (6) and New York (6).

Local partners, engineers and construction crews worked under extraordinary circumstances to complete these projects, delivering a wide range of benefits to their rivers and communities. For example, on the Middle Fork Nooksack River near Bellingham, Washington, removing a water diversion dam and installing a new water intake opened 16 miles of habitat for salmon, restored cultural resources, and ensured a sustainable supply of clean water for the city. The project, an effort of American Rivers, the Nooksack Indian Tribe, Lummi Nation, City of Bellingham, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and others demonstrates the power of public-private partnership and innovative solutions to infrastructure challenges.

More than 90,000 dams block rivers in the U.S. Dams harm fish and wildlife habitat and ecosystem health and can pose safety risks to communities. The failure of Michigan’s Edenville Dam in May 2020 was the latest high profile example of the threat aging, outdated dams pose to public safety. A recent UN report highlighted the growing risk of aging water infrastructure.

American Rivers’ report, Rivers as Economic Engines, outlines how investing in water infrastructure and river restoration creates jobs and benefits the economy. For example, according to a study by the University of North Carolina, the ecological restoration sector directly employs approximately 126,000 workers nationally, and supports another 100,000 jobs indirectly, contributing a combined $25 billion to the economy annually.

On a much larger scale than the projects featured on the 2020 list, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) recently shared a vision for infrastructure investments in the Pacific Northwest that includes removal of four dams on the lower Snake River, which would be the biggest river restoration effort in history. While details need to be addressed before legislation can be enacted, Congressman Simpson’s proposal illustrates how river restoration can be part of transformational solutions that include clean energy, agriculture, job creation and economic revitalization.  

Learn more about this year’s dam removal projects:

• View the national map of dam removals
• Access the American Rivers dam removal database
• Take action to support federal investment in river restoration

Some other interesting projects from around the country in 2020 include:

NORTHEAST: South Branch Gale River Dam, South Branch Gale River, New Hampshire

The South Branch of the Gale River was blocked by a 21-foot high concrete and earthen dam in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, in White Mountain National Forest. The dam was a complete barrier for fish and disrupted natural riverine processes. The Littleton Water and Light Department (LWLD) constructed the dam and associated infrastructure in 1955 for water supply; however, it was no longer in use and had become a maintenance burden. In keeping with the original Special Use Permit from the Forest Service, the dam had to be removed if it was not in use. Removal of the dam was a priority as measured under several river connectivity prioritization methodologies and will restore connectivity to approximately 15 miles of river above the dam and approximately 21 miles of river downstream of the dam. Working together on this project, the partners included the LWLD, American Rivers, New Hampshire Department of Ecological Resources, New Hampshire Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Forest Service.

SOUTHEAST: Burson Lake Dam, Reedy Creek, South Carolina

This project, led by staff at the Francis Marion-Sumter National Forest, removed a dam that had created a recreation lake because the spillway was undermined. This earthen dam was built in 1990, and its spillway was damaged by spring 2020 rain events. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) decided to remove the dam due to increased risk of failure during 2020 hurricane season (before scheduled repairs could be completed). USFS repurposed part of funds intended for culvert replacement by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to pay for dam removal. A USFWS restoration team did the construction. USFS intends to use this as a demonstration site to show dam owners in the Piedmont/foothills what a restored site looks like. This project restored the aquatic community and potential rare species habitat for Bartram’s bass, removed a safety hazard, eliminated ongoing maintenance costs to taxpayers, and promoted greater climate change resilience.

MIDWEST: Elkhart River Dam, Elkhart River, Indiana

The Elkhart River Dam, an approximately 8-foot-tall low-head dam, was built around 1890 to increase the elevation of the river to divert water into raceways that were used to power industry in downtown Elkhart, Indiana. Over time as development occurred, these raceways filled and the dam no longer served a purpose. The dam gave rise to the name of Waterfall Drive, the street located adjacent to the former dam. The former dam was located approximately one-half mile upstream of the Elkhart River’s confluence with the St. Joseph River. With the Elkhart River being the largest tributary of the St. Joseph River, this dam served as a significant barrier to fish migrating out of the St. Joseph River. The dam’s removal reconnected 40 miles of upstream habitat, allowed for the recolonization of 16 species of fish in the Elkhart River and population integration for approximately 50 fish species, including endangered or threatened species (e.g., greater redhorse, longnose dace, and northern brook lamprey).

NORTHERN ROCKIES: Rattlesnake Creek Dam, Rattlesnake Creek, Montana

This dam removal reestablished the connection between the Rattlesnake Wilderness at the headwaters and the Clark Fork River for the first time in more than 100 years. Ultimately, all manmade structures will be removed, 1,000 feet of stream channel will be restored, and 5 acres of wetland and floodplain will be created. A public-private partnership was formed to accomplish this project between the City of Missoula, Missoula Water, Trout Unlimited, the Watershed Education Network, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

NORTHWEST: Pilchuck River Diversion Dam, Pilchuck River, Washington

The Tulalip Tribes worked with the City of Snohomish and many project funders to completely remove two adjacent dams on the Pilchuck River in Washington State primarily to provide unimpeded threatened and endangered species fish passage to over 36 miles of pristine upstream habitat for the benefit of Chinook, coho, chum, and pink salmon, steelhead trout, bull trout, cutthroat trout, and a variety of other aquatic species. The project is expected to increase fish stocks, increase safety, reduce risk from potential dam failure, and increase recreational opportunities.