New Study from American Rivers and Conservation Science Partners Finds Over 80 Percent of U.S. Rivers Lack Adequate Protection

For immediate release

Contact: Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org

Major Breakthrough in River Science and Freshwater Protection

1/9/2026 Washington D.C.  — A new peer-reviewed study from American Rivers and Conservation Science Partners, National Assessment of River Protection in the United States, published today in Nature Sustainability fills a major gap in conservation science—by providing for the first time a comprehensive assessment and understanding of river protection across the United States.

The study reveals that America’s rivers are alarmingly under protected. Over 80 percent of U.S. rivers lack adequate protection. Roughly two-thirds (64%) of the nation’s 4.4 million miles of rivers are currently completely unprotected according to the assessment, and protections for another 17 percent are considered inadequate to safeguard rivers from major threats including dams, pollution, and loss of fish and wildlife habitat.

Only one tenth of rivers in the contiguous U.S.– or 383,741 miles- are currently protected at a level considered effective by the scientific community.

“We are hopeful that our framework ushers in a new era for the understanding and conservation of rivers and freshwater in communities nationwide,” said David Moryc, senior director of River Protection for American Rivers. “Our findings highlight a severe lack of adequate protection for rivers at a time when 110 million Americans rely on rivers that are unprotected for drinking water and freshwater species are disappearing at twice the rate of marine or terrestrial species.”

The dynamism and complexity of rivers and their ecosystems have made quantifying protection difficult in comparison to terrestrial and marine environments. This problem has vexed scientific and conservation community for decades.

“The need for a comprehensive assessment of river protections, beyond simply tallying where rivers flow through terrestrial protected areas, was needed to evaluate and track true progress towards protection goals,” said Julian Olden, senior associate scientist at Conservation Science Partners.

To address this problem the researchers identified, measured and mapped nearly 70 regulations, policies, and management practices that intend to protect the flows, connectivity, water quality, habitat and biodiversity of our nation’s rivers. These mechanisms include a range of conservation tools from federal designations and freshwater policy to local ordinances and conservation easements.

“Our nation’s rivers are vital to everything we as a country depend on and river protection strategies are needed to conserve freshwater ecosystems before it’s too late,” said John Zablocki, Director of River Protection for American Rivers. “The good news is that communities across the country are taking measures across the partisan divide to protect their rivers.”

According to the assessment the top ten states with the greatest river protections in place in order are: Alaska, Maine, New Jersey, California, Washington, New Hampshire, Oregon, Florida, Idaho and New York. The ten with the least are: Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Texas, Indiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi.

For more information on this study and to engage with the River Explorer tool and assessment click here.

The peer-reviewed study can be found 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 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