Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program
Connecticut Rivers
River Conservation
Siddhartha sat by a river, and in its music he heard the history and
wisdom of the world. Huckleberry Finn used a river to find himself. The prophet Ezekiel had a vision in which "the voice
of God was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with
his glory." Jesus was baptized in a river, whereupon God himself
spoke to the multitude. In Japan, falling water has long been associated with
fertility and abundance, and formal Japanese gardens usually include a
small waterfall. Listen to a river. Appreciate its sounds, its colors,
its movements, the way light plays on it, and the way it nurtures plants,
animals, and people.
Rivers are one of the most beautiful and fascinating places on our
planet.’
According to the
World Commission on Water for the 21st Century, half of the world's major
rivers are polluted or drying up.
The Colorado River has been so misused by large-scale agriculture that the ecosystems it once supported are severely threatened. China's Yellow
River is also significantly polluted, when it runs at all: For 226 days in
1997, the river ran dry in its lower reaches.
The level of the
Aral Sea has dropped three-quarters in thirty years due to a drastic
reduction in the water flow from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.
In turn, the low
levels of highly polluted water have resulted in the highest infant
mortality rate in the former Soviet Union. In fact, the effects of
neglected and mismanaged rivers created 25 million environmental refugees
in 1998, more than the number of people displaced by war.
The World Commission on Water also reports, however,
that rivers and lives can be saved through the cooperation between
governments, businesses, and communities.
When individuals and organizations realize that the
health of a region is tied directly to the health of its environment, they
can form successful partnerships based on ecologically sound principles. We should be able
to enjoy rivers and to conserve rivers and river recreation opportunities
for future generations. So does that kind of purpose stand in the way of
progress. What about electricity production and irrigation? What is the
answer?
To take only
what we need, without destroying the balance of nature, without destroying
the rivers on which so much flora and fauna depend. The answer is to take
enough water for efficient irrigation to water the crops we need, while
still leaving enough water in the river for the fish, the flora and fauna
surrounding the river, and for human recreation. To make enough
electricity to satisfy our real needs, with efficient use, without
destroying the river and the natural habitats that depend on it.
Electricity
provides comfort, safety, entertainment, and productivity for our society.
But it does not provide inspiration, glory or fulfillment. Destroying
nature to provide more irrigation and electricity is a losing proposition,
leading only to frustration and emptiness.
It turns out
that seven U.S. Supreme Court decisions have declared that rivers that are
physically navigable, even by small recreational watercraft, are legally
navigable and are public land up to ordinary high water line. They are
held in trust for the public by the states, to be permanently conserved
for navigation, recreation, and fisheries. Unfortunately, thousands of
miles of rivers across our country are treated as if these Supreme Court
decisions did not exist!
Information Adapted From The
National Organization for Rivers (NORS)
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