Chinook salmon in the Tuolumne.

MEDIA CENTER - Press

California - 2 state rivers among 10 most threatened

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Glen Martin
April 13, 2005

Two California rivers will be listed among the nation's most threatened by a national environmental group.
Today, in its annual release of the country's 10 most endangered rivers, the group American Rivers is listing the Sierra's Tuolumne River as No. 8 and Southern California's Santa Clara River as No. 10.

The Tuolumne River, which has federal wild and scenic status and is considered one of the most pristine and beautiful rivers of the Sierra, is threatened because of proposals by the city of San Francisco to divert more of its water for municipal use, said Steve Rothert, a spokesman for American Rivers.

San Francisco obtains its water from Hetch Hetchy reservoir, located on the Tuolumne in Yosemite National Park.

The other listed rivers, in order of threatened status, are: the Susquehanna River in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland; the McCrystal Creek in New Mexico; the Fraser River in Colorado; the Skykomish River in Washington; Roan Creek in Tennessee; the Santee River in South Carolina; the Little Miami River in Ohio; and the Price River in Utah.