PIKEVILLE, Ky. — An eastern Kentucky river fouled by 250 million gallons of coal sludge last fall has made the list of the most endangered streams in the United States.

        American Rivers, in its annual listing of streams most at risk from pollution, dams and flood-control projects, ranked the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River the seventh most endangered in the nation.

Coal sludge blocked a driveway near Coldwater Creek in Martin County, Ky., when the spill hit last October (File photo) | ZOOM |

        “The reason it came to our attention was the coal slurry spill,” said Rebecca Sherman, spokeswoman for the Washington-based conservation group. “We're pushing for the governors of Kentucky and West Virginia to put a moratorium on these types of impoundments. We want tighter policing of those impoundments, and we want to see them phased out.”

        Threats to other rivers include potential oil and gas exploration in the Arctic wildlife refuge near Alaska's Canning River, a two-dam hydroelectric project along California's Eel River and proposed natural gas wells in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

        The Top 5 most endangered rivers were the Mississippi, Canning, Eel, Powder, and the Hudson in New York, which the group says has been contaminated with millions of pounds of dangerous chemicals.

        Environmental groups in Kentucky and West Virginia are pleased with the Tug Fork's inclusion on the list.

        “I think it's highly appropriate that it be listed, given all the threats the Big Sandy faces,” said Vivian Stockman, an organizer for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition in Huntington, W.Va. “Chief among those threats are the coal slurry impoundments.”

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