Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
Rebuilding Better in New York
Eileen Fretz, Flood Policy Director
February 11, 2013 | Climate Change, Floods & Floodplains
Soon after Hurricane Sandy hit, devastating much of the Northeast, politicians and experts took to the press to urge the government to help communities rebuild “better”. But what exactly does rebuilding “better” mean?
Read more »More Clean Water In The Courts – The Accotink Creek Decision
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
February 8, 2013 | Urban Rivers, Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution
Recently we described the results of the Supreme Court’s decision in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which was a narrow one. Another Clean Water Act case, Virginia Department of Transportation vs. Environmental Protection Agency addresses the cleanup of Accotink Creek, a tributary to the Potomac River in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax and the Town of Vienna, Virginia. Decided by the Eastern District of Virginia in favor of the state DOT (and local governments), the case also has a limited holding.
Read more »American Rivers Opposes Raising Shasta Dam
Steve Rothert, California Regional Director
February 7, 2013 | Dams & Dam Removal, Wild and Scenic Rivers
The Bureau of Reclamation has studied the feasibility of raising its 602 ft high Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River to increase the dam’s storage capacity. For several reasons including the two we outline here, American Rivers opposes the raising of Shasta Dam as proposed.
Read more »Salmon, stormwater and streets – a toxic mix
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
February 6, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers, Water Pollution
Have you ever seen one of those fish drawings near the street on a storm drain – a stencil saying something like, “don’t dump, drains to stream.” And even though you might think of salmon as all living in pristine, beautiful rivers, it turns out that polluted stormwater runoff from developed areas and roads and highways threatens these fish too.
Read more »Great News for the Green River!
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
February 4, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Supply
Great news! The Colorado Water Conservation Board has decided to stop funding a study investigating a potential 500-mile pipeline from Wyoming’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir to the Colorado Front Range. This pipeline would have withdrawn massive amounts of water from the Green River- a beautiful western gem running through Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Read more »It's Time To Act, Mr. President
Fay Augustyn, Intermountain West Blue Trails Manager
February 1, 2013 | Climate Change
As I noted in my blog earlier this week, both the Obama Administration and Members of Congress have been paying more attention to climate change since the Inauguration and the start of the 113th Congress, and it only took a few billion-dollar events to get their full attention. Finally, the federal government is putting two and two together –extreme weather, as well as the increases in both in heavy precipitation and extreme drought we’ve been experiencing, are connected to climate change!
Read more »Governor Inslee Proclaims Strong Support For The Yakima Integrated Plan
Michael Garrity, Washington State Conservation Director
February 1, 2013 | Dams & Dam Removal, Floods & Floodplains, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Water Supply
Last Thursday, new Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee appeared before a photo of the Yakima River at his weekly press conference to announce his first legislative action: Introducing a bill to the state legislature (HB 1414) calling for state funding and implementation of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan in order to restore salmon, protect key headwaters habitat, and better manage water in the Yakima River Basin.
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