Conservation News
Pajaro River Tops the List of America's Most Endangered Rivers
By Dougald Scott
Pajaro River Tops the List of America's Most Endangered Rivers
By Dougald Scott
Excerpted from American Rivers press release 4/19/06:
Citing the threat to riverside communities from flooding exacerbated by the Army Corps of Engineers' failed attempts to tame the river, American Rivers today named the Pajaro River as America's number one most endangered river for 2006. The annual "AmericaÕs Most Endangered Rivers" report highlights ten rivers facing a major turning pointing the coming year, where action by citizens can make a huge difference for both community well-being and river health. American Rivers joined the Pajaro River Watershed Committee and the Sierra Club in spotlighting threats to the river, along with workable solutions.
The Pajaro River, and the safety and well-being of its riverside communities, are at a critical turning point. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is poised to recommend yet another old-style, over-engineered flood control project that will produce an ever increasing risk of catastrophic flooding. To protect Watsonville and other communities along the river and restore the health of the Pajaro, the Corps must adopt a modern and comprehensive flood control project that works with nature - instead of against it.
Located in the heart of the Central California coast, the Pajaro River flows from the Diablo mountain range to Monterey Bay. The watershed occupies about 1300 square miles (almost ten times larger than the San Lorenzo River watershed) covering five counties. The Pajaro once supported large runs of steelhead, but now steelhead habitat only exists in the upper headwaters of its tributaries. This means that the lower reaches of the Pajaro are critically important to successful adult passage to spawning grounds and successful smolt passage downstream to Monterey Bay.
The transformation of the lower river's once lush riparian habitat into a denuded channel has compromised natural flood protection along the waterway. Following severe floods in 1995, most of the trees along the lower Pajaro's levees were removed in a misguided attempt to reduce flooding. Instead, the now bare channel has led to the increased velocity of flood waters, further erosion, and millions of dollars in flood damage recovery efforts. "The senseless loss of natural habitat and erosion protection angered local citizenry and perpetuated mistrust, and to top it all off, it's not even working as advertised," said Lois Robin of the Pajaro River Watershed Committee.
To make matters worse, seventy years of extensive sand and gravel mining in upstream tributaries has unleashed millions of cubic yards of sediment that are washed downstream. This hurts water quality and changes the river's ability to handle severe runoff. Upstream activities including farming and development have also added to peak flood flows, increasing the risk of flooding downstream.
"Attempting to fix the Pajaro without dealing with problems throughout the watershed is like trying to fix a car engine by fiddling with the tailpipe. Unless the upper watershed is included in a planning process for the river, taxpayer dollars will again be wasted," said Patricia Matejcek of the Sierra Club.
The Corps is proposing to rebuild destructive and outdated levees, which would cost taxpayers more than $200 million to construct, require significant maintenance funding, and despoil important habitat. Instead of restoring the historic upstream floodplain and wetlands that could provide the first line of defense against flooding, the current plan would virtually eliminate natural flood protection.
American Rivers and its partners on the Pajaro urged the Corps to advance a plan for the Pajaro that works with nature, and not against it. Such a plan would seek a more natural course for the river, restore a healthy riparian corridor, revegetate the river's banks and channel, and identify upstream wetlands and riparian lands where floodwaters could naturally and safely overflow. Local advocates have already provided the Corps with a plan for upstream measures that would protect floodplain properties, enhance other developmental uses, and improve the river's water quality.
American Rivers and its partners on the Pajaro also urged the State of California and the U.S. Congress to insist that the Corps adopt a watershed-wide management plan for the Pajaro that is fully integrated with any flood control project on the river. According to the organizations, the Corps will only be able to protect these communities by looking at the capacity of the entire watershed and incorporating flood protection measures that take advantage of natural systems and rely on levees the last line of defense, not the only defense.
Download the entire report at: www.americanrivers.org/MER2006PressRoom.
The Ten Most Endangered Rivers of 2006:
1. Pajaro River (California)
2. Upper Yellowstone River (Montana)
3. Willamette River (Oregon)
4. Salmon Trout (Michigan)
5. Shenandoah River (Virginia, West Virginia)
6. Boise River (Idaho)
7. Caloosahatchee River (Florida)
8. Bristol Bay (Alaska)
9. San Jacinto River (Texas)
10. Verde River (Arizona)