America's Most Endangered Rivers - (Page 15) NUMBER 6 ST. JOHNS RIVER FLORIDA THREAT: U N S U S TA I N A B L E WAT E R A P P R O P R I AT I O N S The St. Johns River provides scenic beauty, recreational opportunities, and important fish and wildlife habitat. But the river is threatened by a water withdrawal proposal that would cost taxpayers billions, fuel more runaway sprawl, and damage the river’s ecology. Instead of taking precious freshwater from the fragile St. Johns, water managers should implement proven conservation and efficiency measures that will not only save the river’s health, but protect the long-term sustainability of community water supplies. NUMBER 8 ALLAGASH WILDERNESS WATERWAY MAINE THREAT: L O S S O F WILD A N D SCENIC RIVER P R O T E C T I O N S COURTESY OF GILA CONSERVATION COALITION Once a crown jewel of the nation’s Wild and Scenic Rivers System, the unique character of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine is in jeopardy. State river managers are being pressured to dilute or strip protections that safeguard the river’s recreational, economic and ecological values. In 2008, the 40th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the state must strengthen, not weaken, protections for the Allagash and, by example, help uphold the integrity of rivers protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act nationwide. NUMBER 7 GILA RIVER N E W M E X I C O, A R I Z O N A T H R E AT : WAT E R D E V E L O P M E N T P R O J E C T New Mexico’s last free-flowing river, the Gila is threatened by an archaic and costly water diversion project despite the fact that future water supply needs can be met through cheaper alternatives. The unnecessary diversion would not only harm the river’s health but would negatively impact a region where the economy and residents’ quality of life increasingly depend on natural values. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson must continue to protect the Gila River and ensure that state decisionmakers consider and implement cheaper, more effective, and less damaging water supply alternatives. A M E R I C A’ S M O S T E N DA N G E R E D R I V E R S T M : 2 0 0 8 E D I T I O N | W W W. A M E R I C A N R I V E R S . O R G 15 DEAN BENNETT ST. JOHNS RIVERKEEPER http://www.americanrivers.org
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