USA's Most Endangered Rivers

The San Joaquin River winds through a housing development in central California. The river was named the nation's most endangered.

 

The San Joaquin River in central California—one of the sources of San Francisco's drinking water and an agricultural resource for the fertile San Joaquin Valley—is the nation's "most endangered river," according to a report from American Rivers.

 

The report, "America's Most Endangered Rivers for 2014," was released Wednesday by the Washington-based environmental group.

 

Widespread diversions of water for agriculture and human consumption, magnified by the current devastating statewide drought, have put the San Joaquin River at a breaking point, according to American Rivers.

 

Three factors govern the rivers' selections. "One is the significance of the river for human and natural communities....The second is the magnitude of the threat for a particular river, while the third is a major decision that the public can help influence in the coming year."

USAToday, April 9, 2014