Delta rivers top U.S. most-troubled list

The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers will be named today as the nation's most endangered waterways by the environmental group American Rivers.

It will be a news flash mainly for the other 49 states.

Many Californians are already well aware of the myriad problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its two main rivers. They've lived for several years with water shortages caused by the Delta's environmental problems, and with the threat of its declining fish populations, aging levees and problem plumbing.

Yet making the No. 1 slot on the group's 2009 list of the 10 most endangered rivers is a dubious distinction that both environmentalists and water users say will bring renewed urgency to finally solve these problems.

"It can't hurt," said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. "We keep telling the world this system is in crisis. It's in crisis for the fish and the water supply. So the more attention we can get ... the better off we're going to be."

American Rivers, based in Washington, D.C., has produced its annual list since 1986. The mostly subjective process focuses on rivers facing imminent threats or big decisions in the year ahead.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta certainly satisfies both categories. A massive habitat conservation effort, called the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, is expected by the end of this year and aims to both restore imperiled fish populations and improve water delivery.

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