Five Southwest Rivers Make 'Endangered' List
Five Southwest rivers made America’s Most Endangered Rivers list this year. They are the San Joaquin, the Upper Colorado, the Gila, the White Rivers and San Francisquito Creek.
The environmental group American Rivers highlights 10 rivers each year that are at a crossroads, where key decisions will determine their fates. This year the San Joaquin River in central California is listed as most endangered because of its outdated management that leaves communities vulnerable in the face of a drought crisis.
The Upper Colorado was listed as the second most endangered. The Bureau of Reclamation reported that by 2060 the entire basin will drop more than three million acre-feet.
“We just don’t feel that there is really enough water left to satisfy all of the needs that are within the Colorado River Basin much less for exports to support growth on the front range,” said Ken Neubecker of American Rivers.
Colorado’s governor is working on the first statewide water plan. Last year the entire Colorado River was in the number one spot on the American Rivers Survey.
