Outdated flood management threatens salmon, river health

Contact:

Brandon Parsons, American Rivers, (512) 517-4001

Logan Harris, King County Dept. Natural Resources and Parks, (206) 477-4516

Doug Osterman, Green/Duwamish & Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9),

(206) 477-4793

Cathy Cochrane, Puget Sound Partnership, (360) 790-7958

Mindy Roberts, Washington Environmental Council, (206) 631-2600

Washington, D.C. – American Rivers today named the Green-Duwamish River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2019, citing the grave threat that outdated flood management poses to chinook salmon and river health. American Rivers and its partners called on the King County Flood Control District to develop better plans that protect people and property, as well as the salmon runs vital to endangered southern resident killer whales.

“The America’s Most Endangered Rivers report is a call to action to save rivers that face a critical decision in the coming year,” said Brandon Parsons with American Rivers. “Outdated flood management on the Green-Duwamish not only puts communities at risk, it’s harming our salmon and orcas.”

“We are already feeling the impacts of climate change in the Pacific Northwest, including higher temperatures and bigger floods, and it’s only going to get worse. Abusing and degrading our rivers will make us more vulnerable to these threats. Protecting and restoring the river will make us better prepared to face future floods and safeguard communities. It’s our choice to make.”

The King County Flood Control District has initiated development of a flood hazard management plan, which in its current form would result in a larger and more extensive levee system. This, in turn, would result in further loss of critical habitat and almost certain continued decline of salmon. Chinook salmon are vital to local tribes and communities and critical to the diet of endangered orca whales. The already extensive levee system dramatically decreases the number of shade-giving trees along the river, which negatively impacts water quality. The levees also separate the Lower Green River from 82 percent of its historic floodplain, reducing salmon rearing habitats and turning the lower river into a constricted canal that shoots juvenile fish into the heavily contaminated Duwamish estuary.

Current flood management is inadequate to protect local communities from existing flood risks and climate change is only going to increase those risks as winter storms will bring more rain and less snow.

American Rivers and its partners called on the King County Flood Control District to select community supported alternatives that will improve flood management and significantly increase salmon habitat.  The King County Flood Control District must strengthen the plan by defining integrated goals, maximizing the number of levee setbacks to increase flood storage capacity and salmon habitat, and offering clear habitat restoration actions to address the critical needs of salmon rearing habitat and riparian shade in the Lower Green River.

“We are at a crossroads for the Green-Duwamish River. Returning salmon face lethal water temperatures, southern resident orca are critically endangered and tribal treaty rights are at risk,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Our changing climate raises the urgency of actions to reduce flood risks to our residents and economy, while restoring the natural systems we have so degraded. We can and must pursue solutions that meet all of these needs. The days of 1950s, single-purpose flood control are over.”

“The continued polluted condition of the Green-Duwamish River impacts not only the health of the ecosystem and all the creatures that depend on it, but also the health of the people and communities along its banks, many of them low-income,” said Sheida Sahandy, Executive Director at the Puget Sound Partnership. “Recovering the Green Duwamish has long been a goal for many community groups, as well as state and federal water quality managers. We can wait no longer to ensure that projects to improve habitat, water quality and human wellbeing get the needed policy and funding support to make recovery of this river successful.”

“The Lower Green is a major bottleneck to salmon recovery because juvenile salmon born in up-river areas do not have nearly enough habitat to rear as they move down river,” said Doug Osterman with the Green/Duwamish & Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9). “Creating salmon rearing habitat is one of the most important actions to be taken to recover the chinook salmon population of the Green River which, in turn, will provide more food for Puget Sound killer whales.”

The Green River flows unimpeded for 30 miles through forested mountains before reaching two dams: Howard Hanson Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control facility, and Tacoma Headworks Diversion Dam for the city of Tacoma’s drinking water supply. Roughly half of the currently inaccessible historic habitat for salmon and steelhead lies above these dams. Downstream of the dams, the river provides some of Puget Sound’s best salmon and steelhead spawning habitat as it flows through forests, farms and the scenic Green River Gorge. At the city of Auburn, the river transforms into a channelized urban river with limited natural habitat. As the river approaches Seattle, it becomes the Duwamish River. The tidally-influenced Duwamish River provides critical nursery habitat for young salmon and a historically rich estuary before emptying into Elliot Bay and Puget Sound.

The annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers’ fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution.

The Green-Duwamish River was previously included on this list in 2016. Other rivers in the region listed as most endangered in recent years include the Willamette River (2019), South Fork of the Salmon River (2019 and 2018), South Fork Skykomish River (2017) and Green-Toutle River (2017).

America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2019

#1 Gila River, New Mexico
Gov. Grisham must choose a healthier, more cost-effective way to provide water to agriculture than by drying up the state’s last major free-flowing river.

#2 Hudson River, New York

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must consider effective, nature-based alternatives to storm-surge barriers that would choke off this biologically rich tidal estuary.

#3 Upper Mississippi River, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri

State and federal agencies must enforce laws that prohibit illegal levees, which increase flood risk for communities and degrade vital fish and wildlife habitat.

#4 Green-Duwamish River, Washington

Local leaders must produce a flood protection plan that safeguards communities and restores habitat for chinook salmon — fish that are essential to the diet of Puget Sound’s endangered orca whales.

#5 Willamette River, Oregon

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must immediately improve 13 dams to save wild chinook salmon and steelhead from going extinct.

#6 Chilkat River, Alaska

The Japanese investment firm, DOWA, must do the responsible thing and back out of a mining project that could decimate native salmon.

#7 South Fork Salmon River, Idaho

The U.S. Forest Service must safeguard endangered fish by denying a mining proposal that could pollute this tributary of the Wild and Scenic Salmon River.

#8 Buffalo National River, Arkansas

Gov. Hutchinson must demand closure of an industrial hog-farming facility that pollutes groundwater and threatens endangered species.

#9 Big Darby Creek, Ohio

Local leaders must use state-of-the-art science to craft a responsible development plan that protects this pristine stream.

#10 Stikine River, Alaska

The International Joint Commission of the United States and Canada must protect the river’s clean water, fish and wildlife, and indigenous communities by stopping harmful, polluting mines.

2019’s “River of the Year”: Cuyahoga River, Ohio

American Rivers celebrates the progress Cleveland has made in cleaning up the Cuyahoga River, fifty years since the river’s famous fire that sparked the nation’s environmental movement.

ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS

American Rivers believes every community in our country should have clean water and a healthy river. Since 1973, we have been protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers and conserving clean water for people and nature. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., and offices across the country, we are the most effective river conservation organization in the United States, delivering solutions that will last for generations to come. Connect w

Mining threatens salmon, culture and economy

Contact:
Jessie Thomas-Blate, American Rivers, (202) 347-7550
Rob Sanderson Jr., Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission Board Chair, (907) 821-8885
Jennifer Hanlon, Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission Vice Chair, (907) 723-9922

Washington, D.C. – American Rivers today named the Stikine River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2019, citing the grave threat that current and proposed mining projects pose to the river’s salmon, culture and economy. American Rivers and its partners called on the International Joint Commission of the U.S. and Canada to stop the mining projects from devastating the river, its salmon and communities.

“The America’s Most Endangered Rivers report is a call to action to save rivers that face a critical decision in the coming year,” said Jessie Thomas-Blate with American Rivers. “Now is the time to stop the mining projects that threaten the Stikine River and an entire way of life.”

The Stikine is threatened by the pollution from an operational mine at the headwaters—the Red Chris Mine, with others proposed nearby. These mines are extracting minerals, including silver, gold, molybdenum and copper. The Red Chris Mine is owned by the same company, Imperial Metals, responsible for a massive dam failure in 2014 at its Mount Polley site that polluted lakes and rivers with 24 million cubic meters of toxic waste. Mines have to keep their tailings (toxic ore waste potentially containing cyanide, arsenic, and/or mercury) immersed in water in perpetuity. The earthen dams holding the tailings at the Stikine mines are engineered in the same way as the failed dam at Mount Polley.

Loretta Williams, Chair of the First Nations Women Advocating for Responsible Mining, explains why a repeat of the Mount Polley disaster in the Stikine would be tragic. She stated, “I am from the Tsilhqot’in Nation and we are The River People in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Our 6 communities are near three river systems, Chilko, Chilcotin and Taseko Rivers which are the headwaters to the mighty Fraser River which is another system where we have a Tsilhqot’in community. The Fraser River has been hard hit by industry, including mining companies. The Dam of Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley Mine breached causing destruction to everything downstream and that flowed into the Fraser River. There still hasn’t been any acknowledgement from the company of the devastation they caused and no real efforts to fully restore the ecosystem to what it was. Taseko Mines Limited continues to dump effluent into the Fraser River from their Gibraltar Mine and Taseko is proponent of the Pebble Project in Alaska. How much can a river endure in order to properly sustain itself?”

American Rivers and its partners called on the International Joint Commission to stop allowing mining contamination to endanger the transboundary Stikine River. In addition, the groups called on the U.S. State Department to request an immediate moratorium on new mines or mine expansions based on a lack of analysis of the cumulative and downstream impacts to water quality and fish habitat.

According to Rob Sanderson Jr., Board Chair for the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC), “It is vitally important that our transboundary rivers be preserved for future generations. Our entire way of life is being threatened by corporate mining and greed!”

The Stikine River flows from an area known as the Sacred Headwaters in British Columbia into Southeast Alaska. The Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people have occupied this region for more than 10,000 years. The Stikine supports five different species of salmon, as well as moose, geese, deer and multiple other game that are integral to the diet of the entire community.

“Rivers and tributaries are the lifeblood of our homelands for all walks of life,” said Williams. “Without that vein, all that depend on those waters will slowly diminish. Losing a river system will severely interrupt an ecosystem and our culture. The return of the spawning salmon is a cycle that we depend on annually. The teachings that go with that cycle are very important to our people. If we were to lose that entire ecosystem, that will extinguish our connection between teachings, stories, language and sustenance. As mothers, we will do all that it takes to preserve and protect what is existing, because it isn’t much anymore, not like the abundance we once had. We stand united with all First Nations to preserve our rivers.”

The annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers’ fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution.

This is the first time that the Stikine River is included on this list. Other rivers in Alaska listed as most endangered in recent years include the Chilkat River (2019), Colville River (2018), and Rivers of Bristol Bay (2018, 2011).

America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2019

#1 Gila River, New Mexico
Gov. Grisham must choose a healthier, more cost-effective way to provide water to agriculture than by drying up the state’s last major free-flowing river.

#2 Hudson River, New York
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must consider effective, nature-based alternatives to storm-surge barriers that would choke off this biologically rich tidal estuary.

#3 Upper Mississippi River, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri
State and federal agencies must enforce laws that prohibit illegal levees, which increase flood risk for communities and degrade vital fish and wildlife habitat.

#4 Green-Duwamish River, Washington
Local leaders must produce a flood protection plan that safeguards communities and restores habitat for chinook salmon — fish that are essential to the diet of Puget Sound’s endangered orca whales.

#5 Willamette River, Oregon
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must immediately improve 13 dams to save wild chinook salmon and steelhead from going extinct.

#6 Chilkat River, Alaska
The Japanese investment firm, DOWA, must do the responsible thing and back out of a mining project that could decimate native salmon.

#7 South Fork Salmon River, Idaho
The U.S. Forest Service must safeguard endangered fish by denying a mining proposal that could pollute this tributary of the Wild and Scenic Salmon River.

#8 Buffalo National River, Arkansas
Gov. Hutchinson must demand closure of an industrial hog-farming facility that pollutes groundwater and threatens endangered species.

#9 Big Darby Creek, Ohio
Local leaders must use state-of-the-art science to craft a responsible development plan that protects this pristine stream.

#10 Stikine River, Alaska
The International Joint Commission of the United States and Canada must protect the river’s clean water, fish and wildlife, and indigenous communities by stopping harmful, polluting mines.

2019’s “River of the Year”: Cuyahoga River, Ohio
American Rivers celebrates the progress Cleveland has made in cleaning up the Cuyahoga River, fifty years since the river’s famous fire that sparked the nation’s environmental movement.

ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS

American Rivers believes every community in our country should have clean water and a healthy river. Since 1973, we have been protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers and conserving clean water for people and nature. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., and offices across the country, we are the most effective river conservation organization in the United States, delivering solutions that will last for generations to come. Connect with us at AmericanRi

Agency Must Reconsider Petition from Local Groups

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACTS:
Daniela Arellano, NRDC, 310-434-2304, darellano@nrdc.org
Amy Kober, American Rivers, 503-708-1145, akober@americanrivers.org
Angela Haren, Blue Water Baltimore, 415-310-3550, aharen@bluewaterbaltimore.org

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2019) – A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the Clean Water Act by wrongfully denying a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Blue Water Baltimore, and American Rivers to regulate harmful runoff pollution from commercial, industrial and institutional sites in Baltimore’s Back River watershed.

The ruling will require that the EPA reconsider the groups’ petition and determine whether polluted runoff from commercial, industrial, and institutional sites are contributing to violations of water quality standards.

“The court’s ruling is a step forward in our ongoing efforts to prevent stormwater runoff from polluting important waterways,” said Rebecca Hammer, Deputy Director of Federal Water Policy at NRDC. “We will keep fighting to ensure the EPA considers the evidence we’ve presented on the harmful impacts of stormwater runoff on the Back River,” Hammer added. “We’re hopeful the EPA will make the right decision for the people and wildlife that call this watershed home.”

“Commercial, industrial, and institutional property owners should be held responsible to reduce their own stormwater pollution, not local governments and by extension the taxpayers,” said Angela Haren, Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper at Blue Water Baltimore. “We are thrilled the court agrees that EPA cannot avoid its mandate to determine whether these discharges contribute to violations of water quality standards in the Back River,” she added.

“Across the country, our rivers and streams are polluted by the permanent runoff from our already-built urban environment,” said Jeff Odefey, Director, Clean Water Supply Program at American Rivers. “This victory is an important step in finally getting to the source of that problem and increasing accountability for property owners.”

The victory comes at the heels of a similar case in Los Angeles, in which another federal district court also found that the EPA had violated the Clean Water Act, by denying petitions by NRDC and local partners to regulate stormwater dischargers in two Southern California watersheds.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Chicago; Bozeman, Montana; and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC

Blue Water Baltimore is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers, streams and Harbor to foster a healthy environment, a strong economy and thriving communities. Blue Water Baltimore combines science with advocacy and enforcement to improve clean water laws and hold polluters accountable.

American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 275,000 members, supporters and volunteers.

 

March 26, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

Washington – As the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources prepares to consider President Trump’s nomination of David Bernhardt as Secretary of the Interior, American Rivers President and CEO Bob Irvin released the following statement:

“With climate change posing unprecedented threats to our public lands and waters, we need an Interior Secretary who follows the science, values public input, and understands the importance of healthy rivers and ecosystems to our communities and economy.”

“The American people deserve a Secretary of the Interior who will safeguard the public lands and waters that belong to us all. Unfortunately, David Bernhardt has made a career of prioritizing polluters over people. He worked for twenty years as a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry. As Deputy Secretary of the Interior, he has consistently fought to undermine protections for sensitive lands and waters and endangered fish and wildlife, from California’s Central Valley to the Arctic Refuge to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National monuments.”

“Now is not the time to weaken protections for our environment. Healthy rivers, forests and public lands are absolutely vital to strengthening our communities in the face of climate change impacts such as droughts, floods and rising temperatures. We need a Secretary of the Interior who will put the well-being of our lands, waters and communities first.”

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February 26, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

(Washington) — American Rivers today applauded the passage of a landmark bill protecting Wild and Scenic Rivers and other public lands and waters nationwide.  The U.S. House passed S. 47, the largest package of Wild and Scenic River designations in nearly a decade. The U.S. Senate passed the same bill earlier this month by a vote of 92-8.

“This is the biggest advancement for river protection that we’ve seen in nearly a decade,” said Bob Irvin, President and CEO of American Rivers. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, it is fitting that there is bipartisan support for protecting hundreds of miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers from Massachusetts to California, including adding protections for tributaries of the Rogue River, one of the original eight rivers protected in 1968.”

“We are especially grateful to Rep. Grijalva and Rep. Bishop, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, for their commitment and leadership in championing this important, bipartisan legislation. Clean, free-flowing rivers are vital for our drinking water supplies, local economies and the outdoor recreation industry. We urge the President to sign this important bipartisan legislation.”

The legislation is a reflection of the years of hard work by local communities, businesses and river groups including the Nashua River Watershed Association, American Whitewater, the Farmington River Watershed Association, Molalla River Alliance, and K.S. Wild.

The bill adds more than 600 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, forever protecting them from new dams and other harmful development. The bill protects:

• 256 miles of the Rogue, Molalla, Nestucca, and Elk rivers in Oregon
• 110 miles of the Wood-Pawcatuck rivers in Rhode Island and Connecticut
• 76 miles of Amargosa River, Deep Creek, Surprise Canyon and other desert streams in California
• 63 miles of the Green River in Utah
• 62 miles of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut
• 52.8 miles of the Nashua, Squannacook and Nissitissit rivers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

The bill includes other critical river protection and restoration measures, including:

• Authorization of the Initial Development Phase of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, a long-term climate adaptation, water supply reliability, river restoration and lands management plan for farms, fish and people in Washington state.
• Reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the nation’s largest and most important conservation program that provides hundreds of millions of dollars annually to secure the purchase and protection of public lands.
• Creation of the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary, protecting steelhead habitat in Oregon’s North Umpqua River watershed in honor of Frank Moore, a World War II veteran and his wife, Jeanne, beloved stewards of the river.
• Mineral withdrawals to protect the Yellowstone River in Montana, the Methow River in Washington and the Wild and Scenic Chetco River in Oregon from harmful mining.
• The long-overdue name change for Oregon’s Wild and Scenic Whychus Creek.

Along with the designation of East Rosebud Creek in 2018, Montana’s first new Wild and Scenic River in 42 years, today’s action is a major step forward for the 5,000 Miles of Wild® campaign, an effort led by American Rivers, American Whitewater, NRS, OARS, YETI, REI, Nite Ize, Keen Footwear and other partners to protect 5,000 additional river miles and 1 million acres of riverside by October of 2020. See https://www.5000miles.org/about/

American Rivers annual survey shows continued demand for healthy, free-flowing rivers

February 21, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

• View the full list of dams removed in 2018: AmericanRivers.org/DamRemoval2018
• Infographic: AmericanRivers.org/DamInfographic
• Database of all dam removals: AmericanRivers.org/DamRemovalDatabase
• Map of all dam removals: AmericanRivers.org/DamRemovalsMap

(Washington) – Eighty-two outdated dams were removed in 2018, restoring rivers, improving public safety and recreation opportunities, and revitalizing fish and wildlife in communities nationwide, American Rivers announced today.

Communities in 18 states, working in partnership with non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies, removed the dams last year to restore more than 1,230 miles of streams.

Dams were removed in the following states: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

In 2018, with the removal of 33 dams on the Cleveland National Forest alone, California had the highest number of dam removals, for the first time surpassing Pennsylvania, the leading dam removal state for the past 15 years. The top three states removing outdated dams in 2018 were:

• California: 35 dams removed
• Pennsylvania: 7 dams removed
• Michigan: 7 dams removed

“The river conservation movement in our country is stronger than ever,” said Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers. “Twenty years ago this summer, Edwards Dam was removed from Maine’s Kennebec River, sparking a river restoration movement nationwide. Today, not only is the Kennebec thriving, but rivers nationwide are coming back to life thanks to the removal of harmful and outdated dams.”

When a dam is removed, a river can again flow naturally, which has benefits for water supply, flood protection, wildlife habitat and ecosystem health.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the nation’s dams a D grade in its report card on the nation’s infrastructure. One of the most cost-effective ways to deal with outdated, unsafe dams is to remove them.

2018 was the second-best year for removing unsafe, outdated dams in the U.S. 2017 was the top year, with 89 dams removed.

“The growing number of dam removal projects across the country shows that there is strong demand from communities for clean, free-flowing rivers which are vital to our health, economy and future,” said Irvin.

American Rivers is the only organization maintaining a record of dam removals in the United States. The database includes information on 1,578 dams that have been removed across the country since 1912. Most of those dams (1,355) were removed in the past 30 years. American Rivers played a role in 13 of the dam removals on this year’s list. The complete list includes all known dam removals, regardless of the extent of American Rivers’ involvement.

Factors that contributed to successful dam removal and river restoration projects in 2018 include increased awareness about the benefits of removing outdated, unsafe dams; efforts by American Rivers and others to train organizations and increase capacity to manage dam removal projects; and the cost of maintaining aging dams, which pose liability and safety hazards for their owners.

HIGHLIGHTS OF DAM REMOVAL AND RIVER RESTORATION EFFORTS IN 2018 INCLUDE:

Bloede Dam, Patapsco River, Maryland

The Bloede Dam was removed in 2018 as part of a larger plan— which included removal of the Union and Simkins dams in 2010— to restore more than 65 miles of spawning habitat for blueback herring, alewife, American shad, hickory shad, and more than 183 miles for American eel in the Patapsco River watershed. Originally built by a private company in the early 1900s to supply electricity to the cities of Catonsville in Baltimore County and Ellicott City in Howard County, the 34-foot high by 220-foot long dam, located in Patapsco Valley State Park, was most recently owned by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. At the time of demolition, it no longer produced power or any other economic benefit, but contributed to numerous injuries and deaths, including at least nine dam-related drownings since the 1980s. Its removal reconnects habitat for one of the highest runs of river herring in the Chesapeake Bay.

Contact: Serena McClain, American Rivers, 202-347-7550, smcclain@americanrivers.org

Cleveland National Forest, California

The Cleveland National Forest removed 33 dams in total—18 dams from Holy Jim Creek, four in upper San Juan Creek, 10 in lower San Juan Creek and one from Trabuco Creek—in 2018. The dams were originally constructed for varying uses, including to create pools for a stocked rainbow trout fishery and provide water for fire suppression. However, years of disuse and, in some instances, a 40-year maintenance backlog resulted in the decision to remove these structures as a way to improve stream conditions and provide adequate fish passage and wildlife habitat. The efforts of the Cleveland National Forest demonstrate the power of coupling smart management of outdated water infrastructure with the potential re-establishment of extirpated species like the southern California steelhead trout.

Contact: Kristen Winter, Cleveland National Forest, 858-674-2956, kwinter@fs.fed.us

Columbia Lake Dam, Paulins Kill, New Jersey

The 18-foot tall and 330-foot long Columbia Lake Dam was originally built in 1909 and, at the time of removal, owned by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife. The project consisted of the removal of Columbia Lake Dam and a downstream remnant dam on Paulins Kill.  These two dams were physical barriers to fish migration and negatively impacted river flow. The removal of the Columbia Lake Dam restored access to more than 10 miles of historic habitat for migratory fish including American shad, restored 32 acres of floodplains, and provided safe and new recreational opportunities. The project is anticipated to increase abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates, including freshwater mussels, that are indicative of good water quality.

Contacts: Laura Craig, American Rivers, 856-786-9000, lcraig@americanrivers.org

Barbara Brummer, The Nature Conservancy, 908-879-7262, bbrummer@tnc.org 

 

 

February 14, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

Washington — The Trump administration today released its long-anticipated rewrite of the Clean Water Rule, and as expected the proposed rule eliminates federal protection for wetlands with no apparent surface connection to nearby water bodies, and expressly excludes from protection “ephemeral” rivers and streams that flow in times of heavy rain and snow. These are important parts of healthy river ecosystems that are vital to protecting water quality and providing flood protection and critical wildlife habitat nationwide.

The current Clean Water Rule, promulgated by former President Obama and now under ceaseless attack by polluters and their allies in Congress and the Trump administration, ensures protection of wetlands and ephemeral streams based on the overwhelming scientific consensus that they are vitally important to healthy rivers that supply drinking water to two-thirds of Americans. The Trump administration is attempting to reverse the Rule on no apparent scientific basis.

While the Trump administration claims that the new rule does not significantly reduce protections, in fact millions of acres of wetlands nationwide will be affected.

Bob Irvin, President and CEO of American Rivers, made the following statement:

“We need to be doing more as a nation, not less, to safeguard clean water. Unfortunately, the Trump administration’s proposal today fails to deliver – indeed it actively undermines – the protections our rivers and communities need.”

“Too many people in our country, urban and rural, are living with unsafe drinking water. More and more people are worried whether the water flowing from their taps is safe to drink. Low-income communities, indigenous peoples and communities of color are hit hardest by pollution and river degradation.”

“Protection for rivers, streams and wetlands that are the sources of our drinking water supplies must be a top priority to ensure clean water for all. It is time to strengthen, not roll back, safeguards for our rivers and wetlands”

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February 6, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

David Moryc, 503-307-1137

(Washington) — American Rivers today applauded the passage of a landmark bill protecting Wild and Scenic Rivers and other public lands and waters nationwide. S.47 is the largest package of Wild and Scenic River designations in nearly a decade.

“This is a major step forward for rivers and public lands. These pristine waters and special places deserve the highest level of protection the nation can provide,” said Bob Irvin, President and CEO of American Rivers.

“As we celebrate 50 years of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, it is fitting that there is bipartisan support for protecting nearly 620 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers from Massachusetts to California, including adding protections for tributaries of the Rogue River, one of the original eight rivers protected in 1968.”

“S. 47 is the biggest advancement for Wild and Scenic River protection that we’ve seen in nearly a decade. This legislation is the perfect tribute to the hard work of local river advocates nationwide, and a fitting celebration for all who value clean water and healthy rivers.”

“We are grateful to Senators Cantwell and Murkowski for their commitment and leadership in championing this important, bipartisan legislation. Clean, free-flowing rivers are vital for our drinking water supplies, local economies and the outdoor recreation industry. We urge the House to pass this critical bipartisan legislation and send it to the President’s desk for signature.”

The bill adds nearly 620 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, forever protecting them from new dams and other harmful development. The bill protects:

• 256 miles of the Rogue, Molalla and Elk rivers in Oregon
• 110 miles of the Wood-Pawcatuck rivers in Rhode Island and Connecticut
• 76 miles of Amargosa River, Deep Creek, Surprise Canyon and other desert streams in California
• 63 miles of the Green River in Utah
• 62 miles of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut
• 52.8 miles of the Nashua, Squannacook and Nissitissit rivers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Along with the designation of East Rosebud Creek in 2018, Montana’s first new Wild and Scenic River in 42 years, today’s action is a major step forward for the 5,000 Miles of Wild® campaign, an effort led by American Rivers, American Whitewater and other partners to protect 5,000 additional river miles and 1 million acres of riverside by October of 2020. See https://www.5000miles.org/about/

The bill includes other critical river protection and restoration measures, including:

• Authorization of the Initial Development Phase of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, a long-term climate adaptation, water supply reliability, river restoration and lands management plan for farms, fish and people in Washington state.
• Reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the nation’s largest and most important conservation program that provides hundreds of millions of dollars annually to secure the purchase and protection of public lands.
• Creation of the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary, protecting steelhead habitat in Oregon’s North Umpqua River watershed in honor of Frank Moore, a World War II veteran and his wife, Jeanne, beloved stewards of the river.
• Mineral withdrawals to protect the Yellowstone River in Montana, the Methow River in Washington and the Wild and Scenic Chetco River in Oregon from harmful mining.
• The long-overdue name change for Oregon’s Wild and Scenic Whychus Creek, formerly known as Squaw Creek, a derogatory and obsolete term.

February 8, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

Washington – Congressman John Dingell, a champion for rivers and clean water, passed away yesterday. Bob Irvin, President and CEO of American Rivers, made the following statement:

“John Dingell was one of the greatest champions for the environment in the history of Congress. As the longest serving Member of the House of Representatives, he fought for people and wildlife and was instrumental in the creation of bedrock laws including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. He defended safeguards at hydropower dams to protect river health. We are immensely grateful for his dedication and leadership. Congressman Dingell has left a legacy of healthy rivers that will live on for generations to come.”

 

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For Immediate Release: February 4, 2019

For more information: 

Craig Tucker, Karuk Tribe Natural Resources Consultant, 916-207-8294

Steve Rothert, American Rivers, 530-277-0448

Glen Spain, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens’ Associations, (541) 521-8655

Brian Johnson, Trout Unlimited, (415) 385-0796

Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon, (541) 951-0126

Matt Mais, Yurok Tribe, (707) 954-0976

Communities Line Up to Support Klamath Dam Removal Permit

-California Considers Water Quality Permit for Nation’s Largest Salmon Restoration Project

– Decades Long Fight over Klamath Dams Nearing final Chapter

Arcata, CA— This week, the California Water Board will hold public hearings on a draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. Tribes, fishermen, and conservation groups are praising the document which calls removal of the lower four dams “the superior alternative.”

“California’s report supports what many of us have said all along – removal of the lower four Klamath River dams is key to restoring one of America’s most valuable salmon fisheries,” commented Glen Spain with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), the west coast’s largest commercial salmon fishing industry trade organization.

An Environmental Impact Report is required by the California Environmental Quality Act before the state can issue the Clean Water Act permit necessary for dam decommissioning.

“This is another deliberate step towards dam removal,” noted Karuk Chairman Russell “Buster” Attebery. “It has been a long fight but the momentum is now on our side.”

Several dozen Karuk, Yurok, and Hoopa Tribal members traveled to Scotland back in 2004 to protest the shareholders’ meeting of Scottish Power who was then the owner of PacifiCorp who in turn owns the dams. After several years of protest, Scottish Power sold the project to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK).

This led Tribes and their allies to Omaha, NE.  “We confronted Mr. Buffett directly over the dams at his shareholders’ meeting in Omaha,” said Yurok Vice-Chairman Frankie Myers. “It was a long hard battle that took several years but, in the end, we worked out a plan that Mr. Buffett and his executives could support and they have been good partners ever since.”

The plan to implement America’s most ambitious salmon restoration project involves $200 million in financing from PacifiCorp, $250 million from an existing California water bond, and creation of the non-profit Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) to take over the dams and manage the removal effort.

“As we’ve seen time after time on rivers across the country, dam removal works. The Klamath River is on the verge of rebounding back to life. Thanks to years of hard work by so many in this community, our children and grandchildren will know a healthy, free-flowing Klamath River,” said Steve Rothert with American Rivers.

“Two years from now, we will re-unite the Upper and Lower Klamath Basins for the first time in a century,” said Brian Johnson, California Director for Trout Unlimited. “Dam removal is the essential first step toward safe and clean water, strong runs of salmon and steelhead, and healthy communities.”

Key Findings of the DEIR (which can be found here) include:

• There are many significant, long-term benefits from the proposed project.
• There are few long-term significant and unavoidable impacts from the project; most negative impacts are short-term and/or can be avoided or reduced through mitigations.
• The proposed project (removal of lower four dams) is superior to the six alternatives analyzed: 1) No Project; 2) Partial Removal; 3) Continued Operations with Fish Passage; 4) Three Dam Removal (removal of Iron Gate, Copco No. 1, and Copco No. 2 dams); 5) Two Dam Removal (removal of Iron Gate and Copco No. 1 dams); and 6) Dam Removal with No Hatcheries.
• Dam removal is the only alternative that achieves the project purpose of restoring a free-flowing river.
• The project complies with water quality objectives ofthe Clean Water Act.
• Dam removal is the best way to improve water quality for the river.

Dates and locations of public meetings to solicit comments on the DEIR:

-Tuesday, February 5, 2019 (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) at the Best Western Miner’s in Yreka.

-Wednesday, February 6, 2019 (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) at the Neighborhood Center on D street in Arcata

-Thursday, February 7, 2019 (12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.) at the Karuk Tribe Council Chambers in Orleans

-Friday, February 15, 2019 (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.) at the CalEPA Building, Sierra Hearing Room 1001 I Street, 2nd floor in Sacramento.

More information on the Klamath River dams,can be found at http://www.klamathrenewal.org/.

 

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January 15, 2019

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

Washington – As the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works prepares to consider President Trump’s nomination of Andrew Wheeler as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, American Rivers President and CEO Bob Irvin released the following statement:

“This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River catching fire in Cleveland, Ohio. The images of the flames engulfing the pollution-choked river galvanized the nation and spurred Americans nationwide to demand protections for clean water and the environment.

Today, those images remind us that we must not take our rivers for granted. Thanks to the Clean Water Act and leadership from past EPA Administrators, the Cuyahoga and rivers across the nation have a new lease on life.  But that lease is fragile and, therefore, it is more important than ever that the American people stay vigilant, speak up and hold our leaders accountable if we want a future of clean water and healthy rivers.

The American people deserve an EPA Administrator who will safeguard our drinking water and the rivers that flow through our communities. Unfortunately, Andrew Wheeler has a track record of doing the opposite. As Acting Administrator, he has continued the assault on clean water safeguards, including the Clean Water Rule, putting the drinking water for millions of Americans at risk. Like his predecessor, Scott Pruitt, Mr. Wheeler has consistently prioritized polluters over people.

As communities nationwide continue to struggle with pollution, lead pipes, failing water infrastructure and scarce water supplies, this is not the time to weaken protections for our health and the environment. We need an EPA Administrator who will put the well-being of our families and communities first.”

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