America’s Most Endangered Rivers™ Report: 1986 - 1995

Below is a list of the nation's Most Endangered Rivers from 1986-1995, including the states in which they flow and the primary threat that caused them to be listed.

1995 ~ 1994 ~ 1993 ~ 1992 ~ 1991 ~ 1990 ~ 1989 ~ 1988 ~ 1987 ~ 1986

Most Endangered Rivers 1995

Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone (MT, WY)--gold mine
Los Angeles (CA)--flood control; urban neglect
Columbia and Snake (WA, OR, ID)--dams, irrigation
Animas (CO)--water development project
Missouri (Midwest, Great Plains)--navigation, ag runoff
Kansas (K)--ag runoff, sand dredging
Mississippi (Midwest)--ag runoff, flood control
Cheat (WV)--acid mine drainage, proposed dam
Penobscot (ME)--dams
Thorne (AK)--logging

Threatened

Elwha (WA)--damsLittle Bighorn (WY)--hydro
Rogue/Illinois (OR)--dams, logging
Skokomish (WA)--dams, logging
Gila and San Pedro Rivers (AZ, NM, Mexico)--overallocation and ag pollution
New (CA, Mexico)--ag runoff
Rio Grande (Southwest; Mexico)--ag grazing
Russian (CA)--dams, development, ag waste
San Jacinto (TX)--toxic chemical pollution
Virgin (AZ, NV, UT)--overallocation
Minnesota (MN)--ag runoff
Platte (NE)--dams, irrigation
West Pearl (LA)--dredging for navigation
Wolf (WI)--copper and zinc mine
Anacostia (D.C., MD)--development, sewer overflows, highway
Chattahoochee (GA, AL, FL)--sewage, development
Everglades (FL)--diversions, ag pollution
Fish Creek (NY)--logging, development
Moisie and Sainte Marguerite Rivers (Quebec)--hydro
Neuse (NC)--ag runoff

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Most Endangered Rivers 1994

Clarks Fork of Yellowstone (WY, MT)--mine
Anacostia (D.C., MD)--urban run-off
Clavey (CA)--dams
Columbia, Snake Rivers (WA, OR, ID)--dams, logging
Mississippi--flood control, run-offMissouri--dams and channelization
Penobscot (ME)--proposed dam
Rio Grande, Rio Bravo (CO, NM, TX, Mexico)--agricultural pollution, mine waste, toxics
Thorne (AK)--logging
Virgin (UT, AZ, NV)--diversion for ag, development

Threatened

Blackfoot (MT)--gold mine
Fraser (BC, Canada)--hydro
Fortymile (AK)--mining
Rogue/Illinois (OR)--dams, logging
Skokomish (WA)--dams
Tongue (MT, WY)--railroad, coal mining
Animas (CO)--diversion for ag
Los Angeles (CA)--flood control project
San Pedro (AZ)--groundwater pumping
Santa Margarita (CA)--development, dams
Snowmass (CO)--snow making
Chippewa/Flambeau Rivers (WI)--dams
Eleven Point (Missouri)--lead mining
Platte (NE)--dams
Trinity (TX)--dams
Chattahoochee (GA, AL)--untreated sewage, development
Clinch/Powell Rivers (VA, TN)--ag runoff
Everglades (FL)--dikes, canals; ag pollution (sugar production)
Moisie and Saint Marguerite Rivers (Quebec)--hydro
Saugus (MA)--proposed building of tidal floodgates

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Most Endangered Rivers 1993

Rio Grande and Rio Conchos (CO, NM, TX, Mexico)--sewage and indust pollution
Columbia and Snake Rivers, including Yakima tributary (Northwest; Canada)--dams
Everglades (FL)--diversion, ag and animal waste
Anacostia (D.C., MD)--sewage, development, ag sedimentation, dumping
Virgin (UT, AZ, NV)--dams
Rogue and Illinois (OR)--logging
Penobscot (ME)--hydro
Clavey (CA)--hydro
Alsek and Tatshenshini (AK and BC)--copper mine
Platte (NE)--dam

Threatened

Animas (CO)--diversion
Beaverkill (lower) and Willowemoc Rivers (NY)--development, land use
Blackfoot (MT)--ag runoff
Eleven Point (MO)--drilling for lead
Great Whale (Quebec)--proposed hydro
Little Bighorn (WY)--proposed hydro
Los Angeles (CA)--flood control
Moose Creek (AK)--riverbed mining
Skokomish (WA)--hydro
St. Mary's (VA)--acid rain, fossil fuel burning power plant
Susquehanna (PA)--ag runoff
Tennessee (KY)--indust dumping, hazardous waste
Thorne (AK)--logging
White (AR)--ag and animal waste
Yuba (CA)--proposed dam

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Most Endangered Rivers 1992

Columbia and Snake Rivers (OR, WA, ID)--dams
Alsek and Tatshenshini (AK)--open pit copper mine
Great Whale (Quebec)--hydro project
Everglades (FL)--flood control project
American (CA)--proposed dam
Colorado (AZ)--Glen Canyon dam
Mississippi (Midwest)--hydro, barge spills, agriculture and pesticides, industrial discharge
Penobscot (ME)--proposed dam
Beaverkill and Willowemoc (NY)--logging and development
Blackfoot (MT)--logging, cattle grazing, poor agricultural practices, mining

Threatened

Animas (CO)--irrigation project
Clavey (CA)--dams, diversions
Elwha (WA)--dams
Gunnison (CO)--proposed hydro
Illinois (OR)--water diversion for domestic use and irrigation
Klamath (OR)--hydro diversion
New (NC)--development
Ohio (IN, IL, KY, OH)--dams
Ouachita (AR, LA)--channel widening, navigation project
Passaic (NJ)
Rio Conchos (TX)--logging; hazardous waste landfills
Savannah (GA)--hydro; nuclear waste; urban run-off; agricultural pollution
Susquehanna (PA)--hydro project
Verde (AZ)--residential development; groundwater withdrawals
Virgin (AZ, NV, UT)--overallocation; dams

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Most Endangered Rivers 1991

Colorado (AZ)--Glen Canyon dam
Alsek and Tatshenshini (AK)--open pit copper mine
American (CA)--flood control project
Penobscot (ME)--proposed hydro
Susquehanna (PA)--proposed hydro
Upper Mississippi (Upper Midwest)--oil spills, other hazardous cargo
Columbia and Snake Rivers (Northwest)--current dam operations
Gunnison (CO)--hydro and diversion project
Passaic (NJ)--flood control project
New (NC)--land development

Threatened

Animas (CO)--proposed irrigation
Arkansas (CO)--water projects would flood area
Cahaba (AL)--Coalbed methane; development, strip mining, clearcutting, indust & sewage
Chattahoochee (GA)--allocation problems, poor water quality
Clavey (CA)--proposed dam
Fortymile (AK)--gold mining
Fremont (UT)--proposed hydro
Hanalei (HI)--proposed diversion, flood control, dredging
Klamath (OR)--hydro, diversion
Lamprey (NH)--proposed hydro
Little Bighorn (WY)--proposed hydro
Sespe (CA)--proposed water supply dams
Spring (AR)--land development
Suwanee (FL)--phosphate mining, land development
Verde (AZ)--groundwater depletion