Latest news with #AmericanRivers
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Missouri Man Dies in Dam's Hydraulics While Trying to Save Trapped Boater
A Missouri man who jumped into a river to help a boater stranded in a dam died on Sunday after becoming trapped by the dam's hydraulics, the authorities said. The man, 54, was pronounced dead at a hospital Sunday evening, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in an incident report. Emergency responders were dispatched to a water rescue of two people in the Elk River, , near Noel, Mo., at the southwest corner of the state, at around 5:35 p.m. on Sunday, the agency said in its report. One of the people had gone over a low-head dam in the river. According to the incident report, the man jumped into the water above the dam to help a boater who had become trapped in the powerful, washing machine-like waters at the base of the dam called the hydraulics. The man, whose name was not released, was then swept up by the current and pulled through the hydraulics, the agency said. He resurfaced downstream, where a bystander pulled him to safety, and emergency responders administered first aid. The man was transported to Ozarks Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The boater was uninjured, the highway patrol said. Lowhead dams are man-made structures that span waterways and allow water to continuously flow overtop, according to the environmental group American Rivers. They are sometimes referred to as 'drowning machines' because they can create a recirculating roller-like current at the base of the dam, which can trap people, boats or other objects, and make it nearly impossible to escape. About 50 fatalities typically occur each year at low-head dams across the United States, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Science
- The Hill
Removing aging dams could help strengthen communities facing extreme weather: Report
Eliminating obsolete or unsafe dams could help bolster community safety amid climate-induced weather extremes, watershed experts are recommending. Storms and floods have intensified in both frequency and severity, since the construction of the dams — many of which are now in a state of disrepair, according to a new white paper, published by Utah State University. 'Removing dangerous and obsolete dams and barriers improves resilience to flooding, drought, increasing temperatures, sea level rise, and changing rivers,' said lead author Sarah Null, a professor of watershed sciences at Utah State University, in a statement. 'Many dams provide useful services and should not be removed,' Null acknowledged. 'But for those structures that are outdated or unsafe, removal can be a smart decision for communities.' Crossing the nation's rivers today are more than 550,000 dams and 298,000 transportation-related barriers, such as culverts, structures that enable water to flow underneath a road or railway. About 70 percent of U.S. dams have exceeded their designed lifespan, with 16,700 deemed high-hazard and a risk to people downstream, the authors explained, citing data from the National Inventory of Dams. The average age of American dams is 64, and the number of structures that are jeopardizing communities is surging, the researchers warned. 'Many of the dams we built decades ago are not equipped to handle today's extreme weather,' said co-author Ann Willis, regional California director of American Rivers, in a statement. 'In a lot of cases, aging dams and dams that are not adequately designed or maintained are ticking time bombs, putting people at risk,' Willis added. Removing obsolete dams rather than renovating them requires just a fraction of the expense associated with the latter — typically amounting to just 30 percent to 40 percent of the cost of a retrofit, according to the report. Dam and barrier elimination also provides a means for preserving cultural practices, by facilitating fish harvests in areas where the natural flow of native species has long been impaired, the authors noted. Restored river health and improvements in water quality can thereby help bring fish and wildlife back to their former habitats, while establishing cooler, free-flowing waters that are more capable of withstanding drought, per the report. The researchers acknowledge that dams can provide climate resilience benefits when they are well-maintained and offer cost-effective services. In places where removal would not be practical, the authors suggested creating additional storage and coordinating surface and groundwater management as promising strategies for reducing flood risk. But in so many cases over the past several years, communities have endured extreme weather conditions that have compromised dams — often when storm flow has surpassed dam design specifications, according to the report. 'Removing unsafe, outdated dams is a proven approach to restoring rivers and strengthening communities,' said co-author Shara Sparks, senior program officer for the Open Rivers Fund, in a statement. 'For communities challenged by extreme weather, restoring their rivers via dam and barrier removal can deliver a host of benefits,' Sparks added.
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Rivers are Life Highlights River Conservation at Wildlands 2025
Organization hosts river cleanup to support river conservation and awareness BIG SKY, MT / ACCESS Newswire / July 9, 2025 / Rivers are Life, a global conservation movement headquartered in Michigan that invests in the protection of rivers around the world, announced today its participation at this year's Wildlands music event in Big Sky, Montana. An event that is focused on supporting outdoor conservation and bringing outdoor enthusiasts together around a common cause, Rivers are Life will assist in kicking this year's event off by hosting a river cleanup for attendees on Friday, August 1st. In partnership with Outlaw Partners and the Wildlands event, Rivers are Life will host a river cleanup focusing on stopping trash from getting into one of Montana's most iconic waterways, the Gallatin River. Meet at the Big Sky Events Arena and join forces with other passionate organizations - American Rivers, Center for Large Landscapes, and the Gallatin River Task Force on Friday, August 1, from 10am until 1pm. This river cleanup follows the Wildlands Charity Night, which supports the incredible boots-on-the-ground initiatives being done by American Rivers and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. Those interested in participating in Friday's cleanup can head to this link to sign up now. "We are so excited to be part of this year's Wildlands Festival, spending time in beautiful Montana alongside like-minded brands and people who understand the importance of conserving our environment," said Katie Horning, VP of Marketing at Rivers are Life. "It's amazing to see this crowd come together through music and a shared love for the outdoors. This year marks our first-ever river cleanup at the festival, and we're especially proud to roll up our sleeves-because taking action on the ground is how real change begins. We're honored to support this cause and help raise awareness for river conservation." "We're grateful to have partners like Rivers are Life who support through action," said Megan Paulson, Co-founder and CMO of Outlaw Partners. "Their passion for rivers and the overall ethos of Wildlands through the river cleanup event is a meaningful way that will make a direct impact here in Montana." This year's Wildlands lineup features two nights of Dave Matthews as the headliner on Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2 where he will take the stage in Montana for the first time in 30 years. Wildlands celebrates the wild lands and incredible spaces that surround us through music and personal connection by directly supporting this year's event beneficiaries: American Rivers and Center for Large Landscape Conservation. Stay up to date on the latest conservation efforts from Rivers are Life by following on Instagram and learn more about the River Action membership program by heading to Contact Information: Katie Horning VP of Marketing, Rivers are Lifekhorning@ SOURCE: Rivers are Life press release
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First-ever National Mississippi River Day frames the river as 'the great connector'
Michael Anderson views the Mississippi River as the country's great connector. It flows through 10 states — both red and blue — weaving its way through major population centers and small towns. Millions of Americans drink from it, and live, work and play on its banks. For that reason, Anderson believes it's high time the river had its day. This year, it will. For the first time, June 2 will be recognized as National Mississippi River Day, a move that Anderson and other advocates hope will bring sorely needed attention to one of the country's most significant waterways as it continues to struggle with pollution, disinvestment and the effects of climate change. The environmental advocacy group One Mississippi, for which Anderson directs outreach and education efforts, launched the day to kick off its annual campaign for the river, River Days of Action. More: 10 important facts about the Mississippi River More: The Mississippi River is central to America's story. Why doesn't it get more love? "In a time where it's almost more immediate to turn our backs on each other, now is the time to turn toward the river and turn toward each other," Anderson said. "This is about having a dedicated day for the people of the river, in these mainstem states and beyond, to turn toward each other. Several river cities and three states, including Wisconsin, have formally recognized the day. Gov. Tony Evers wrote in a proclamation that the river connects Wisconsin to the global economy and that protecting it is paramount as environmental threats continue to grow. In April, the national conservation group American Rivers named the Mississippi the most endangered river in the U.S. because of the Trump administration's plans to scale back spending on natural disasters, including flooding. There's significant room for improvement in federal flood relief programs, advocates said, but they argued federal participation is key to coordinating flooding response because the Mississippi touches so many states. The upper Mississippi River in particular is experiencing higher water flows and more severe, longer-lasting flooding due to climate change and land use changes. These high waters are killing floodplain forests and disrupting fish habitats. On the lower river, drought years have caused barges to run aground. And pollutants from Midwest farm fields and urban centers continues to choke aquatic life at the river's mouth off the coast of Louisiana. More: Mississippi River named most endangered in U.S. Why water quality is not the issue. More: Mississippi River runoff is not just a Gulf problem. It impacts health, recreation upstream. Layoffs and cuts to federal agencies that manage the river are also causing concern among environmental advocates. That's in part what propelled Steve Marking, a river historian and guest performer for American Cruise Lines on its Mississippi River cruises, to organize a June 14 event at Goose Island County Park near La Crosse as a part of One Mississippi's River Days of Action. More: Multiple researchers fired from La Crosse USGS science center, threatening work on invasive species and other Mississippi River issues "Celebrate the Mississippi," hosted by the Upper Mississippi River chapter of the Izaak Walton League, of which Marking is a founding member, will include a paddling trip through the river's backwaters, an outdoor photo contest, a floodplain forest tour and a demonstration of the league's Save Our Streams program, which teaches people how to do their own water quality monitoring. The demonstration is meant to help people realize their own power in taking care of natural resources, Marking said. "Being able to take charge of the data and find out whether your local stream, your local creek or even the mainstem of the Mississippi is healthy or not ... is something we can do," he said. On June 2, One Mississippi will host an online celebration at noon to hear residents' stories from along the river and discuss what's needed to protect it. Anderson said he thinks momentum for National Mississippi River Day will continue to build in years to come, similar to Earth Day. "There's just a really encouraging message of hope — of where we are ... and also of where we can go," he said. Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: First-ever National Mississippi River Day happening June 2
Fast Company
14-05-2025
- General
- Fast Company
These stunning photos show how nature came back after the world's largest dam removal project
It's been less than a year since the world's largest dam removal project was completed along 420 miles of the Klamath River, near the border of Oregon and California. But if you look at the river now, you might not know that four dams had ever been in place. Instead of concrete walls and artificial reservoirs, the river is now free-flowing—and parts of the former infrastructure have been replaced by wildflowers that are in bloom. 'It's been an incredible transition,' says Ann Willis, California regional director at American Rivers, a nonprofit that supported Native American tribes in a decades-long fight to take out the dams. 'It's really strange and wonderful to stand on the bridge that goes across the Klamath River and look upstream where Iron Gate Dam used to be. I used to imagine a river above it, and now I see the river.' The dams were built between 1918 and 1962 to provide hydropower, and immediately blocked salmon from migrating. Over time, the ecosystem started to collapse. By 1997, coho salmon in the river were listed as endangered. (The river was once the third-largest salmon fishery in the continental U.S.) In 2002, when the federal government diverted water to farms instead of letting it flow downstream in the river, tens of thousands of salmon died. Local tribes like the Yurok—who have lived by the river for at least 10,000 years, and who consider salmon a central and sacred part of their culture—started the long fight to take out the dams. Beyond the direct impact on fish, the dams impacted the larger environment as the flow of nutrients down the river stopped. Willis compares dams to a blockage in human arteries that eventually lead to a heart attack. 'When you put a dam in a river, there's an entire living network of things that depends on the flow of the river—the patterns and relationship of the river and its flow with the land around it,' she says. 'When you block it, you start this long process of decline. That's the bad news. The good news is one of the fastest ways to resuscitate a river and its surrounding ecosystem is to simply remove the dam.' The advocacy was a challenge. But the tribes and environmental groups behind the campaign were helped by the fact that it was ultimately more expensive for the power company to keep the aging dams in place than to get rid of them. The power that the dams provided was also relatively easy to replace, since it made up only 2% of the utility's power generation. (The utility's overall plan to meet power needs includes more investment in renewable energy, more energy efficiency, and a small amount of natural gas.) In 2016, after years of negotiation, the power company transferred the dams to a nonprofit in charge of their removal. In 2022, the federal government greenlit the plan, which had a cost of around $450 million, funded both by California state bond money and by utility customers. The dams were taken out in phases, with the smallest removed in 2023 and the rest last year, all carefully timed to avoid disrupting fish that might try to swim through the area. First, the reservoirs were drained. Then demolition crews blew up larger concrete structures. Dump trucks cleared away rocks, dirt, and sand, returning some of the material to the hillsides it was carved out of decades ago. Plans for restoring plant life started earlier. A crew of primarily Yurok tribe members began collecting seeds from native flowers and trees in 2019. Most of the seeds went to nurseries, where they were grown in fields to produce more flowers and even more seeds. 'There were over 2,000 acres that needed revegetation,' says Joshua Chenoweth, an ecologist who worked with the Yurok tribe on the project. 'Because it's so large, you can't collect enough seed to just throw it back on the landscape.' The crew eventually spread billions of seeds using a variety of methods, from hand-planting to using a helicopter in areas where it was too dangerous to walk. Right now, the hills are covered in California poppies and a mix of other plants. 'The hand-seeding exceeded my wildest expectations,' Chenoweth says. The fish also came back faster than scientists expected. 'The dam removal was officially complete on September 30,' says Willis. 'The first salmon was detected swimming upstream into that ancestral habitat in three days, which was just shocking. Then, within a month, 6,000 salmon were detected swimming upstream. I don't think anyone expected this quick of a response at this really large scale.'
