Flooding earlier this month claimed lives and destroyed homes and businesses across the South and Midwest. It is the most recent example of how extreme weather is devastating communities and putting our rivers and clean water at risk.
It’s against this backdrop that American Rivers is announcing America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025. Our message is simple, and we have a plan: To stop the cycle of destruction, we must invest in solutions that protect river health and our nation’s clean water security.
Topping the 2025 list is “America’s River”, the Mississippi. As I write this, portions of the river are at flood stage, or approaching flood stage, as a result of recent heavy rain and snowmelt, according to the National Weather Service.
But high water isn’t the only threat. Layoffs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and calls to abolish both the agency itself and the National Flood Insurance Program put river health and human safety at risk, and could compound longstanding threats to river health.
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Spotlighting what matters most
Whether your community is more vulnerable to floods, droughts, or wildfires, we all want to keep our families safe from extreme weather. And no matter where you live, it’s the communities with healthy rivers that are stronger, better equipped, and more resilient in the face of these threats.
In addition to safety, another need we all have in common is clean, safe, reliable drinking water. Most of our drinking water comes from rivers – but half of the rivers in the United States contain unsafe levels of pollution.
Public safety and clean water aren’t red or blue state issues. They are shared values that connect us all. “Our water wealth is one of our greatest assets as a nation,” says American Rivers president and CEO Tom Kiernan.
Protecting these shared values and our nation’s water wealth is the motivation behind America’s Most Endangered Rivers ®. Every year, working with local partners, we sound the alarm and deliver an urgent and timely call to action for the rivers we all depend on. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of this campaign, protecting clean water and healthy rivers has never been more important.
America’s Most Endangered Rivers ® of 2025: Ten rivers at a crossroads
- Mississippi River: The lifeline of America faces an uncertain future as FEMA’s role in floodplain protections and infrastructure maintenance hangs in the balance.
- Tijuana River: Severe sewage and chemical pollution threaten communities on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
- Rivers of Southern Appalachia: Extreme weather is testing the limits of aging dams while hurricane recovery efforts struggle to keep pace.
- Passaic River: Historical industrial pollution continues to impact this essential New Jersey waterway.
- Lower Rio Grande: A mega-drought combined with outdated water management threatens this crucial border river.
- Rappahannock River: Declining groundwater levels and explosive growth from data centers are creating a perfect storm for water insecurity.
- Clearwater River Basin: Some 700 miles of potential Wild and Scenic River protections are at risk of being lost.
- Susitna River: Road construction and mining threaten one of Alaska’s most pristine waterways.
- Calcasieu River: Toxic and heavy metal pollutants endanger this Louisiana river system.
- Gauley River: Strip mining in the headwaters is introducing toxic pollution to this beloved recreational waterway.
Making a difference together
The America’s Most Endangered Rivers ® campaign has a track record of success. It galvanizes the public to speak up on behalf of the rivers, gets the attention of decision makers, and creates positive change. Together with partners, we have helped stop pollution in the Buffalo National River and prevented harmful mining in fragile ecosystems like the Boundary Waters. The campaign played an important role in protecting Wyoming’s beautiful Hoback River, and has contributed to dam removal and river restoration efforts on rivers such as the Penobscot, Klamath, and Eel.
You can help turn this year’s endangered rivers into success stories. We need your voice for America’s Most Endangered Rivers ® of 2025. Learn more about the rivers, and take action today.
