Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in California listed endangered

by Amy Judd | April 7, 2009 at 01:22 pm

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The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, two of the longest rivers in California, have been listed today as the USA's most endangered waterways, because of bad water management and really poor flood planning.

The American Rivers association chose these two rivers because if they collapse then 25 million Californians could be affected from lack of water supply, the captial could flood, and the freshwater delta where the two rivers meet would be damaged beyond repair.

"The health of the delta depends directly on maintaining the health of these two rivers that feed it," said Steve Rothert, California director of the Washington-based nonprofit.

The organisation took nominations from environmental groups and considered the value of the river to the people that need it and the threat it could pose if it failed, in order to make their decision. The state however said that the report did not give enough consideration to their efforts to restore the river's health in their report.

Rounding out the top five were Georgia's Flint River, the Lower Snake River that courses through Idaho, Washington and Oregon, Mattawoman Creek in Maryland and the North Fork of the Flathead River in Montana.