WHERE ARE AMERICA’S TEN MOST POLLUTED RIVERS-
America’s most contaminated waterways are found within the confines of its sewers, where waste from households and businesses accumulates—a concoction of human waste, household chemicals, personal care products, and medications. When rainwater flushes pesticides, fertilizers, automotive fluids, and street litter into these sewers, it leads to overflows that inundate basements, streets, parks, and ultimately, rivers and streams. Annually, over 860 billion gallons of this noxious blend are discharged into the nation’s sewers, enough to inundate Pennsylvania with a foot of water or provide each American with a year’s worth of baths. This vile mixture, once it escapes from pipes or manholes, pollutes nearby water bodies. Some of it may be treated and rerouted to homes and businesses, only to end up back in the sewers, continuing the cycle. This pattern is evident in the Susquehanna River, frequently cited as one of America’s most endangered rivers, with its watershed home to 123 major sewer systems stretching from New York to Maryland. The river’s expansion into the Chesapeake Bay area shows a decline in seagrass and seafood stocks, indicative of poor sewage treatment and frequent spills.
The public health hazard is stark on the river’s opposite bank, where untreated sewage teems with salmonella, hepatitis, dysentery, cryptosporidium, and other pathogens. These diseases were once responsible for reducing the average U.S. lifespan to about 50 years. The toll of sewage on human life each year is significant, with pathogens lingering even after the smell dissipates. While healthy adults might not connect their illnesses to a day’s swim, vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and the sick face severe illness or death. Scientists suggest up to 3.5 million Americans become sick annually from contact with supposedly safe waters. A 1998 study in the International Journal of Epidemiology linked water pollution to a third of all reported gastroenteritis cases and two-thirds of ear infections.
The ten most contaminated rivers typically include the following, along with the states that contribute most to their pollution:
- Mississippi River (TN, AR, LA, MO, IL, MN, WI, IA, KY, MS)
- Pacific Ocean (OR, HI, CA)
- Ohio River (IL, IN, OH, KY, WV, PA)
- Tennessee River (KY, TN, AL)
- Houston Ship Channel (TX)
- Ward Cove (AK)
- Savannah River (GA, SC)
- Delaware River (DE, PA, NJ)
- Thames River (CT)
- Grays Harbor (WA)
The peril extends beyond those who come into direct contact with the water. The CDC documented 251 disease outbreaks and nearly 500,000 cases of waterborne illness due to polluted drinking water from 1985 to 2000. Additionally, a CDC and National Academy of Sciences study revealed that the majority of seafood-related illnesses originate from human sewage.