WASHINGTON, D.C. : Group Warns of Threats to Rivers

From hydroelectric dams in the Pacific Northwest to chicken farms near the Potomac River, a conservation group cited a growing list of threats to some of the nation’s famous waterways. American Rivers picked the Columbia River in Washington state to head its 13th annual list of the 20 most endangered rivers in the nation. “We continue to abuse our rivers--by damming, draining, straightening and polluting them--all the while weakening their ability to sustain fish and wildlife,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of the Washington, D.C.-based group. California’s Kern River made the list because of small hydropower dams.