Study: Humans degrading rivers across the west
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Rivers are the ecological lifeblood of the western U.S. but they’re taking a beating from human activity.
That’s according to researchers who mapped the condition of more than 300,000 miles of river in 11 western states.
The massive undertaking researchers named Disappearing Rivers looked end-to-end at thousands of rivers and streams.
The data provides a snapshot of conditions of everything from the mighty Colorado which provides water to roughly 40 million people in seven states and two countries to Lamoille Creek, a scenic stream in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains known for wild brook trout.