A proposal to increase sand and gravel dredging along the Kansas
River has placed the body of water on a list of the most
endangered rivers in the country. Each year, American Rivers, a
river preservation organization, names the nation’s 10 most
endangered rivers. This year’s list is led by the Potomac River,
where clean water and public health are threatened by pollution,
the organization said. The Missouri River also made the list
because of what the organization called outdated flood
management. The Kansas River, which has been included on the
list three other times in the past two decades, was No. 10.
“This is not the 10th most polluted river in the country. The
river is at a crossroads. It is at tipping point,” said Laura
Calwell, who is the riverkeeper with Friends of the Kaw, a local
environmental advocacy group that aims to protect the river. At
the heart of the concern is a request for a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers permit that would allow five dredging companies to
increase the amount of sand and gr