St. Croix, Mississippi on endangered rivers list

Bridge to never?
This undated artist rendering released by the Minnesota Department of Transportation shows an aerial view looking west that shows the proposed St. Croix River Crossing between Oak Park Heights, Minn., and St. Joseph, Wis.
AP Photo/Minnesota Department of Transportation

Two major rivers in Minnesota are on the list of 10-most-endangered rivers identified by a national environmental group.

American Rivers said the four-lane, superhighway bridge proposed for the scenic St. Croix River is bigger than traffic patterns justify and would set a dangerous precedent for all wild and scenic rivers. The bridge proposal led to the group including the St. Croix in its list of 'most endangered rivers,' along with nine other rivers across the nation.

The group says Wisconsin and Minnesota should come up with a more modest design.

The Mississippi River gets special mention by American Rivers because of the flooding in the south. The group said the U.S. has built too many levees, and given people a false sense of security.

The group said we should re-invest in natural defenses including floodplains and wetlands. Ultimately, it said, that would save lives and money.

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