Once-mighty Rio Grande, other New Mexico rivers are ‘most endangered’ in the US: Non-profit

The once-mighty Rio Grande, which has formed the border of the United States and Mexico since the end of the Mexican-American War in the 1840s, is America’s ‘most endangered river’ along with three others, a non-profit dedicated to conservation of US rivers has said.

American Rivers, which focuses on protecting and promoting the health of rivers in the US, said on April 15, 2024 that the Rio Grande, along with the San Juan, Gila and Pecos rivers, all of which flow through the US state of New Mexico, were endangered due to loss of federal clean water protections.

“New Mexico is the state hardest hit by a recent Supreme Court ruling that left virtually all of the state’s streams and wetlands vulnerable to pollution. This federal action opens the door to potential harmful downstream impacts to the Rio Grande, Gila, San Juan, and Pecos rivers,” America Rivers stated on its website.

“This is why the Rivers of New Mexico are #1 in America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2024 — our annual report that amplifies local leaders calling for solutions to urgent river threats,” it added.

In recent years, the Rio Grande — meaning ‘large river’ in Spanish — has mostly been in the news as a hotspot of migration into the US from the rest of the Americas as well as around the world.

Many migrants from across South America use well-documented but hazardous trails to cross the Darien Gap in Panama. They and others from Central American countries — Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize — then travel through Mexico to ultimately arrive at the Mexican-American border on the Rio Grande.

But as an article in The Conversation explained last year, the once-mighty river is not just a border but a river in decline. Its waters have been diverted and overutilised by both the US and Mexico. The fifth-longest river of North America, and the 20th longest in the world, is now a mere shadow of itself.

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Besides the Rio Grande, another border river, the Tijuana, also made it to the list.

“The Tijuana River Watershed, ancestral and current homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation and home to millions of people on both sides of the US/Mexico border is steeped in rich multicultural identities. The river joins the Pacific Ocean at beautiful beaches that were once frequented by families, swimmers, and surfers but are now choked with pollution, limiting coastal access and causing serious threats to public health,” American Rivers noted.

Other rivers in the list included the Big Sunflower and Yazoo in the state of Mississippi, Duck (Tennessee), Santa Cruz (Arizona), Little Pee Dee (North Carolina, South Carolina), Farmington (Connecticut, Massachusetts), Trinity (California), Kobuk (Alaska) and Blackwater (West Virginia).

Threats include endangerment of wetlands (Big Sunflower and Yazoo), excessive water use (Duck), water scarcity & climate change (Santa Cruz), harmful development & highway construction  (Little Pee Dee), hydropower dam  (Farmington), outdated water management (Trinity), road construction (Kobuk) and highway development (Blackwater).

The criteria to decide how endangered a river is included: A major decision (that the public can help influence) in the coming year on the proposed action; the significance of the river to human and natural communities and the magnitude of the threat to the river and associated communities, especially in light of a changing climate.

“All water is connected. We cannot allow pollution anywhere without risk to the rivers we rely on for our drinking water,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “Our leaders must hold polluters accountable and strengthen the Clean Water Act to safeguard our health and communities.”