Pipeline Threats Lands Dan River as #8 on America’s Most Endangered Rivers® List of 2026
Contact:
Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org
Tia Hunt, Communications Manager, tia@7directionsofservice.com
Drinking Water for Hundreds of Thousands at Risk
Washington, D.C. — American Rivers today announced the Dan River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2026, citing threats from the construction of two major gas pipelines — Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Project (MVP Southgate) — that will cross North Carolina and Virginia and could jeopardize drinking water, wildlife habitat, and Indigenous cultural sites.
“Energy production can’t come at the expense of our most vital of resources — our nation’s freshwater,” said Alice Broderick, spokesperson for American Rivers. “There is always a risk when pipelines are built along our rivers. These pipelines have to be constructed with the most stringent protections in place for the Dan River and the people that depend on it.”
The Dan River originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and flows 214 miles east into North Carolina, joining the Roanoke River at Kerr Reservoir. It supplies drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people along its stretch. It also provides important habitat for endangered species, including the James spinymussel and Roanoke logperch, as well as freshwater mussels, otters, and migratory fish. The river also holds deep significance for Indigenous peoples, including the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Saura, and related Siouan-speaking communities, whose ancestral villages, burial sites, and ceremonial landscapes line its banks.
“The Dan River is a life source for hundreds of thousands of people and a sacred cultural corridor for Indigenous communities. Any project that risks contaminating these waters or disturbing ancestral sites must be held to the highest legal and ethical standards. Consultation with all Indigenous leadership is not optional—it is a responsibility,” said Dr. Crystal Cavalier, Executive Director, 7 Directions of Service
The pipelines have both been permitted and could jeopardize the Dan River by increasing sedimentation, chemical contamination, and destabilization of riverbanks if not done with strict adherence to water quality standards.
American Rivers is urging Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) and Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) to:
- Ensure state agencies enforce Clean Water Act requirements during pipeline construction.
- Hold pipeline companies accountable for protecting water quality, wildlife habitat, and Indigenous cultural sites.
- Consult with Indigenous leadership to assess potential risks and impacts for Tribal communities.
For more details on this river and the full America’s Most Endangered Rivers® list of 2026, including the selection process, click here.
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American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. We combine evidence-based solutions with enduring partnerships to safeguard the 4.4 million miles of rivers and streams that are essential to our nation’s clean drinking water, extraordinary wildlife, and the strength of our communities. For more than 50 years, our staff, supporters, and partners have been driven by a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers®. AmericanRivers.org
7 Directions of Service (7DS) is an Indigenous-led organization rooted in environmental justice and grassroots power, operating on the ancestral homelands of the Occaneechi-Saponi in rural North Carolina. Through educational and cultural programming, community projects and civic engagement, 7DS is an essential force of coalition-building and cultural shift towards environmental justice and Indigenous visions of the future. 7DirectionsofService.com