Hazardous Gravel Mine Development Puts San Joaquin as #2 on America’s Most Endangered Rivers® List of 2026

Contact:
Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org
Sharon Weaver, Executive Director, San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust, Inc. sweaver@riverparkway.org

Washington D.C. — American Rivers is today announcing the San Joaquin River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2026 due to a 600-foot-deep blast mine proposed alongside it, threatening its flows, water quality, and the people and wildlife that rely on it. 

The San Joaquin River is the water source for 30 million Californians, supports nearly half of the state’s $61 billion agricultural economy, and is the prime habitat for Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout. 

“This river makes life in our state possible,” said Patricia Flores, California Central Valley associate director for American Rivers. “A mine of such a proposed magnitude could push the San Joaquin to the edge of collapse, and once that damage is done, it is done. Why risk such an important waterway that millions depend on?”

The global gravel mining company CEMEX seeks a 100-year permit for the mine, which would divert water from the life-sustaining San Joaquin River to a quarry site, potentially exposing the water supply to hazardous mining pollution. The mine’s extreme size could also result in devastating impacts to the river’s drainage, flow, and ability to recharge groundwater, while the loss of recreational access in a park-starved region would disproportionately impact marginalized communities in Fresno and the surrounding area. 

“San Joaquin River mining has produced enough sand and gravel to build a two-lane highway all the way around the earth, by one engineer’s calculation,” says Sharon Weaver, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust. “I think it’s time to say enough is enough, and focus on restoring this important ecosystem and community resource.”

The proposed transition to hard rock mining, including significant deepening of the existing pit, would introduce a more intensive form of extraction and could reverse decades of investment in conservation efforts along the river. The site overlaps with the San Joaquin River Parkway, which currently protects 4,100 acres of the critically important river, with 2,400 acres of additional protection planned. At full buildout, the Parkway will provide equitable public access to a 22-mile multi-use trail system and protect wildlife in ecological reserves. $125 million of public and private funds have been designated for the Parkway since the creation of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust in 1988, and the establishment of the San Joaquin River Conservancy in 1992. 

“We have never yet seen blasting and drilling of hard rock on this stretch of the San Joaquin River, and the change to this more hazardous form of mining poses an existential threat to the health of the river,” Weaver explains.

The final public comment period for the site’s approval will open in Spring 2026 following the release of the final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), marking a critical opportunity for public input. Community members do not need to wait. American Rivers and our partners are urging communities to share their opposition to the project now with the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, which will be the final decision-makers on the project.

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

The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit land trust established in 1988, working to create and protect the 22-mile San Joaquin River Parkway. The Trust’s mission is to preserve and restore San Joaquin River lands having ecological, scenic, or historic significance; to educate the public on the need for stewardship; to research issues affecting the river; and to promote educational, recreational, and agricultural uses of the riverbottom consistent with protection of the river’s resources. The Trust offers programs in its three core mission areas of conservation, education, and recreation. For more information, visit riverparkway.org.