This is the 19th year the the Outdoor Recreation Council of Britsh Columbia has published B.C.'s Most Endangered Rivers report.
For the second year in a row the Kettle River was identified as the number one most threatened river due to new water extraction proposals near its source. The river is already suffering from excessive water withdrawals, so unless greater measures are taken this river may never recover, foreshadowing what many other streams in the region will face with continuing climate change.
BC’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2011
1. Kettle River (water extraction, development)
2. “Sacred Headwaters” of Skeena, Nass and Stikine (coalbed methane)
3. Peace River (hydro-electric dam proposal)
4. Fraser River, “Heart of the Fraser”(urbanization, industrial development, habitat loss)
5. Kokish River (IPP proposal)
6. Morice (pipeline proposal)
7. Taku River (mining development, road proposal, leachate concerns)
8. Similkameen River (cross border dam proposal)
9. Elk River (development, increasing selenium levels, wildlife migration issues)
10. Coquitlam River (excessive sedimentation, urbanization)
11. Bute Inlet Rivers (IPP proposal)
12. Atlin River (impacts of dam and Whitehorse, Yukon energy proposal)
LINK (Via: Spring Creek Film)