American Rivers

Speak up for freshwater wildlife Take the pledge to work to conserve our remaining natural areas and preserve nature for our fragile web of life.

Rivers are lifelines where otters, beavers, hellbenders, and more thrive. But the science is undeniable — freshwater species are going extinct twice as fast as ocean and land species.

🔊🦦 Learn more & speak up this #WorldWildlifeDay below! act.americanrivers.org/page/80077/p...

River Studies Safeguard Our Regional Future In 2023 and 2024, the Washington State Legislature acted with clear foresight, directing state agencies to evaluate options for maintaining water, energy, recreation, and transportation services in th...

#DYK? 🤔 Washington taxpayers are projected to spend $4.5B to $8.35B over the next 50 years to keep the lower Snake River dams. State studies are uncovering that the dams' services can continue with cost-effective alternatives – Learn more: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/rive...

How To Save the Colorado River The Colorado River is running dry. Cooperation is the only way forward, writes Pete McBride.

"State leaders and water managers should climb into a raft and keep floating downstream until they figure out how to stretch less water further, and how to fund an infrastructure that sustains it." -Pete McBride

#RememberTheRiver 🌊 Read more: time.com/7381402/wate...

New Report: Protecting Small Streams, Wetlands, and Seasonal Channels Protects Rivers More than two decades ago, Where Rivers Are Born helped establish the scientific case for protecting the small streams and wetlands that form the backbone of our river systems. This newly updated edit...

Our new edition of the "Where Rivers Are Born" report reflects more than 20 years of additional peer-reviewed research on how headwaters function and why they matter to people and wildlife.

💧 Read new report: www.americanrivers.org/2026/01/new-...

The moment of crisis for the Colorado River is no longer on the horizon - it’s at our doorstep.

Forecasters predict one of the worst water years in a century, with profound consequences for Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

🔊 #TakeAction by midnight: act.americanrivers.org/page/94467/a...

🏆🌊 Last week, we celebrated our 2026 River Champion Award recipients! Thank you to our honorees—championing Wild & Scenic River protection bills and building bipartisan efforts to protect rivers and clean water nationwide.

👏 @heinrich.senate.gov @repgabevasquez.bsky.social

📸Kea Dupree Photography

ACT NOW Tell Congress to Support FERA Now!

⚠️ 90% of floodplains in the U.S. are damaged or degraded.

In order to restore our nation’s floodplains back to health, Congress must pass the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act (FERA).

#TakeAction 🗣️ Tell Congress to pass FERA now: act.americanrivers.org/page/94332/a...

ACT NOW -- Tell The Bureau of Reclamation to do the right thing for the future of the Colorado River Demand a smarter future for the Colorado River.

The Colorado River is at a defining moment: more than two decades of exceptionally hot and dry conditions coupled with decades of demand exceeding supply have pushed the system to its breaking point.

🔊 #SpeakUp for the future of the Colorado: act.americanrivers.org/page/94467/a...

The Funding Tool That Can Help Fix America’s Water Infrastructure and Prevent Future Failures like the Potomac Interceptor On January 19, 2026, the Potomac Interceptor, a major sewer pipeline, collapsed along Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Maryland. The pipeline runs through the C&O Canal National Historical P...

The Potomac Interceptor collapse offers a clear illustration of what happens when aging systems are pushed beyond their time limits.

State Revolving Funds are one of the best tools at cities’ disposal to solve this need for better infrastructure – Learn how: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/the-...

The Testimony of a Mayor – and a River The day after the Cuyahoga caught fire for the 13th time, Mayor Carl Stokes led journalists on a tour of the polluted river, making visible what Clevelanders had endured for decades: oil slicks, chemi...

In 1970, Mayor Carl Stokes testified before the U.S Senate Air & Water Pollution Subcommittee following the Cuyahoga River fires, helping redefine the nation’s priorities.

This #BlackHistoryMonth, explore how his leadership led the way for the Clean Water Act: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/the-...

2026 River Action Days are a wrap! 🎉

American Rivers and @aractionfund.bsky.social staff, board members, and volunteers took to Capitol Hill this week in over 85 meetings with members of Congress offices to advocate for key river and clean water protections.

River Studies Safeguard Our Regional Future In 2023 and 2024, the Washington State Legislature acted with clear foresight, directing state agencies to evaluate options for maintaining water, energy, recreation, and transportation services in th...

#DYK? 🤔 The four aging dams on the lower Snake River produce only 700 megawatts of power each year. That's less than 4% of the Northwest’s total average power generation.

Learn more from our Northwest Regional Director, Sarah Dyrdahl: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/rive...

Hoover Dam is iconic at 90, but rise in US dam removals signals changing mindset Despite Hoover Dam’s enduring popularity and usefulness, a major industry shift has led to more U.S. dams being removed than built in recent decades.

Dam removal is the biggest step we can take towards healing our rivers. The strategic removal of high-risk dams that no longer serve their community drives this movement forward.

Read more from our Senior Director of River Restoration, Brian Graber: www.asce.org/publications...

Protecting America's Wild and Scenic Rivers Rivers make life possible. Wild and Scenic Rivers are our healthiest, cleanest, most intact waterways — protected for their beauty, natural and cultural significance, and recreational value. They prov...

Wild & Scenic designation is the strongest tool to protect rivers in the nation. However, today, only about 12,000 miles of rivers are protected as Wild and Scenic. That’s less than 1 percent of rivers in the U.S.

🌊 Learn more: www.americanrivers.org/threats-solu...

The Testimony of a Mayor – and a River The day after the Cuyahoga caught fire for the 13th time, Mayor Carl Stokes led journalists on a tour of the polluted river, making visible what Clevelanders had endured for decades: oil slicks, chemi...

This #BlackHistoryMonth, read the story of the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city, Cleveland Mayor Carl B. Stokes.

His environmental advocacy before Congress came at a pivotal moment in 1970, less than a year after the Cuyahoga River burned: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/the-...

The moment of crisis for the Colorado River is no longer on the horizon-it’s at our doorstep. As the Federal Government explores five alternatives for its future, your participation matters.

🔊 #TakeAction! Demand a smarter future for the Colorado by March 2: act.americanrivers.org/page/94467/a...

Colorado River in the Grand Canyon Colorado River in the Grand Canyon The Colorado River’s Grand Canyon is one of our nation’s, and the world’s, greatest natural treasures. A sacred place of deep cultural significance, it is also a bel...

#DYK? 🤔 The Colorado River’s Grand Canyon is one of our nation’s, and the world’s, greatest natural treasures. A sacred place of deep cultural significance, it is also a beloved recreation and travel destination, and home to a wide diversity of wildlife. www.americanrivers.org/river/colora...

What is the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act? Restoring floodplains — the low-lying lands next to rivers — is one of the most effective ways to reduce flood risk to communities, strengthen ecosystems, and improve water resources. Across the count...

Despite the proven benefits, floodplain restoration projects are often delayed or stopped entirely because of outdated policies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Why? – Learn more: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/what...

Keep ‘roadless rule’ in place, say former Forest Service officials • Daily Montanan While the Trump administration has proposed to repeal the federal "roadless rule," former Forest Service employees say the measure could backfire and is wildly unpopular.

Former Forest Service staff said the Roadless Rule doesn't hinder management of Montana's forests.

Former federal employees and conservation groups toured a fuels reduction project in Silver King Inventoried Roadless Area near the Clark Fork River – Read below: dailymontanan.com/2026/02/20/k...

What is the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act? Restoring floodplains — the low-lying lands next to rivers — is one of the most effective ways to reduce flood risk to communities, strengthen ecosystems, and improve water resources. Across the count...

The Floodplains Enhancement and Recovery Act would ensure that floodplain restoration is treated like what it is — an investment in community safety and resilience — not a risk.

🔗 Learn more & get involved: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/what...

ACT NOW Tell Congress to Support FERA Now!

⚠️ 90% of floodplains in the U.S. are damaged or degraded.

In order to restore our nation’s floodplains back to health, Congress must pass the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act (FERA).

#TakeAction 🗣️ Tell Congress to pass FERA now: act.americanrivers.org/page/94332/a...

What is the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act? Restoring floodplains — the low-lying lands next to rivers — is one of the most effective ways to reduce flood risk to communities, strengthen ecosystems, and improve water resources. Across the count...

If passed, the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act would reduce regulatory burdens and give states, Tribes, and local communities the tools they need to restore floodplains to protect lives and property.

📲 Learn more & get involved: www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/what...

Rivers love wet meadows and so do we! 🌾 Restoration at CA's Confluence Meadow is almost done and continued monitoring illustrates the benefits – groundwater closer to the surface, habitat recovery, and water stored later into the season!

📸Pre- vs. Post-restoration | Maiya Greenwood, Gordon Gianniny

Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill Drinking water around the District of Columbia hasn't been contaminated. But scientists say the environmental damage could be severe.

"There's a ton of nasty stuff in raw sewage...a lot of that stuff can sink to the bottom of the river, have impacts on fish reproduction, bird reproduction, killing a lot of the insects, contaminating the soil." -Gary Belan, American Rivers

Read full @npr.org article: www.npr.org/2026/02/20/n...

Busted pipe at Yuba power plant kills salmon, renews infrastructure fears River advocates say penstock rupture that killed juvenile salmon reflects broader risks tied to aging hydroelectric power infrastructure.

"It’s really important as extreme weather accelerates for us to be working with our rivers instead of constantly trying to manage them with built infrastructure that ages and tends to fail..." -Meghan Quinn, California Dam Removal Director, American Rivers www.sacbee.com/news/politic...

Ohio EPA Considers ‘Lowering of Water Quality’ Necessary for Data Center Growth Discover the potential consequences for Ohio water quality with the proposed permit for data centers and its environmental impact.

In Ohio, data centers could soon be allowed to discharge untreated wastewater and stormwater directly into rivers and streams – placing communities and clean water at risk. @alliancegreatlakes.bsky.social

🚰 Learn more: www.circleofblue.org/2026/water-p...

Busted pipe at Yuba power plant kills salmon, renews infrastructure fears River advocates say penstock rupture that killed juvenile salmon reflects broader risks tied to aging hydroelectric power infrastructure.

“Introducing risk to rivers, river management and communities is just something that goes hand in hand with putting infrastructure in a river, whether that’s a dam or a hydropower facility or a levee." -Dr. Ann Willis, California Regional Director, American Rivers www.modbee.com/news/califor...

The Catastrophe on the Potomac Is A Stark Warning to Cities Delaying Water Infrastructure Upgrades The most frustrating thing about all of this is how preventable it all was. That sewer line was built in the early 60’s and it was already known to be past the end of it’s service life. That’s why D.C...

We recently visited the Potomac River sewer spill site — likely one of the largest accidental sewage spills in U.S. history.

These sewer system collapses aren’t inevitable. If we don’t get our act together, more spills like this are in our future. www.americanrivers.org/2026/02/the-...

Great Lakes The Great Lakes basin contains 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. It is home to 10 percent of the U.S. population who depend on the lakes and the rivers that feed into them for clean drinking wate...

The Great Lakes basin contains 20% of the world’s fresh water. It's home to 10% of the U.S. population who depend on its lakes and the rivers that feed into them for clean water, agriculture, industry, and more.

🏙️ Explore our work in the Great Lakes: www.americanrivers.org/region/great...

American Rivers Calls for Swift, Coordinated Action to Protect Public Health and Repair Infrastructure After Potomac River Sewage Spill American Rivers is calling on local, state, and federal leaders to act quickly and cooperatively to contain the damage, protect downstream communities, and repair the failed Potomac Interceptor Sewer ...

We're calling on local, state, and federal leaders to act quickly and cooperatively to contain the damage and repair the sewer line, whose break led to hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage spilling into the Potomac River.

Read our full statement: www.americanrivers.org/media-item/a...