AN EXAMINATION OF THE WATER QUALITY OF THE NATIONS’ TEN MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS IN 2003

For the past 17 years, American Rivers, a national non-profit river conservation group, has annually released a report of America’s Ten Most Endangered Rivers. The group states that rivers can be included on the list if they meet the following criteria: they face an immediate large threat, such as dam construction or major pollution; decisions regarding a large threat to the river system are imminent; the river has regional or national significance. The Big Sunflower River in Mississippi topped the 2003 most endangered list due to flood control projects along its course, with the Klamath River of Oregon and California second and the Ipswich River in Massachusetts third. The Tallapoosa River of Alabama and Georgia ranked 9th for 2003. Its debut on the list began in 1999 at 3rd place; it fell to 5th in 2000 and has been absent from the list until this year.

An examination was made to determine the nature of the water quality of the 10 rivers considered the most endangered in 2003. The USGS has long monitored national streams and their vast database was utilized. Numerous water quality parameters were examined including nutrients and physical parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductance. Comparisons among the 10 streams were made. A new ranking of the 10 rivers was devised, this time based on the water quality of the streams. In considering the nutrient levels of the top 3 rivers on the list, the Big Sunflower River does have the highest levels of phosphorus, nitrite-nitrate nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen. In the case of nitrite-nitrate-N, ammonia-N, and total nitrogen, the values for the Klamath River actually come in third place, though it has a second place ranking. Nutrient levels tend to be high in all three rivers, as does specific conductance. The Big Sunflower River had a maximum specific conductance value of 605 µS/cm, while the Klamath River reached 424 µS/cm and the Ipswich River reached 439 µS/cm.