Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
A Miner’s Take on Mining the Boundary Waters
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
May 8, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Pollution
My wife, Pat, and I stopped by the South Kawishiwi River last week. The river current is starting to take out the ice in the narrows, and in a few days we'll have a canoe in the water again.
We see evidence of exploratory drilling for copper-nickel mines, but spring load limits are on some of the roads so we won't see the big rigs moving for a few days. So far, the drilling has confirmed that the Duluth Complex is a low grade ore body in a high grade environment— Superior National Forest.
New WRDA, Same Old Congress
Eileen Fretz, Flood Policy Director
May 8, 2013 | Floods & Floodplains
This week, the Senate is debating a bill called the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), S 601, that will tell the Army Corps of Engineers what water infrastructure to build on our nation’s rivers and coasts. WRDA is usually a long list of flood control, navigation, water supply, ecosystem restoration projects that Congress wants built, but, the earmark ban means Members have had to find more creative ways to bring home the bacon.
Read more »It’s That Time of Year Again!
Alexis Goggans, Manager, National River Cleanup Campaign
May 3, 2013 | National River Cleanup
Its official, the 2013 National River Cleanup® season has begun! Last year, over 92,000 volunteers removed 3.5 million pounds of trash from more than 39,000 miles of waterways across America. As a result, the 2012 National River Cleanup was the most successful season since the program began in 1991.
Read more »Study Finds 11 Billion Gallons of Sewage Entered Rivers & Bays after Hurricane Sandy
Stacey Detwiler, Associate, Conservation & Government Relations
May 2, 2013 | Climate Change, Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers
More than six months ago, Hurricane Sandy swept through the mid-Atlantic leaving a path of destruction across New York, New Jersey, and surrounding states. With total damage estimates reaching $70 billion, communities across the region are still recovering from its impacts.
Read more »Cities and States Are Staying Afloat by Preparing for Rising Seas
Fay Augustyn, Intermountain West Blue Trails Manager
May 2, 2013 | Climate Change, Floods & Floodplains
After what seems like a never-ending winter, there are many things that I’m looking forward to about the approach of summer: sunshine, warm weather, outdoor patio dining, and beach vacations. But for the millions of people who live along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, summer also marks the beginning of hurricane season. Last year, Superstorm Sandy slammed into the northeastern seaboard, destroying lives, homes, and businesses and in the process racking up $50 billion in damage.
Read more »Protecting Special Places is Important for Local Businesses
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
May 1, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Pollution
The resort lies across the river from the Twin Metals sulfide metal mining exploration area, which caused the Boundary Waters to be declared one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2013. Visitors do not come here to listen to the drone of drills and heavy equipment going on across the lake in an area considered “ground zero” for sulfide mining exploration.
Read more »Our New Report on Restoring Healthy Flows in Georgia’s Upper Flint River
Ben Emanuel, Associate Director, Water Supply
April 30, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Climate Change, Water Supply
April has been a busy month at American Rivers, with the release of our annual Most Endangered Rivers® list. As you may have noticed, many of the rivers spotlighted on this year’s list are there because of threats related to water quantity, which is increasingly a concern here in the Southeast. That’s the case for the Georgia’s Flint River, where low flows threaten the river’s health throughout its length from Atlanta to the Florida state line.
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