A conservation group on Wednesday released its annual list of what it says are the nation's most endangered rivers, stating that a nation like the United States should be able to let children swim in creeks and eat fish caught in a river -- without worrying about pollution.
But American Rivers said that’s sadly not the case and put the Colorado River at the top of its list.
President Rebecca Wodder said the Colorado hit the pollution trifecta — with radioactive, toxic and human waste all threatening it.
The group said the country’s waters are in danger of returning to where they were in the early 1970’s -- when they were the most polluted in history.
It focused blame on the Bush administration, saying it has been lax in enforcing water safety laws and allowing corporations to find loopholes.
Other rivers on the list are: Big Sunflower, Snake, Tennessee, Allegheny and Monongahela, Spokane, Housatonic, Peace, Big Darby and Mississippi.
The full report is online at www.americanrivers.org.