The South made two top 10 lists for its regional rivers. On the bright side, Forbes Magazine named three regional cities to its best paddling town list: Chattanooga was heralded for its creek boating; Charlotte made the list for its Olympic Whitewater Center, and Washington, D.C. was lauded for the Potomac River and the lineage of Olympic kayakers who’ve trained in the area.
Unfortunately, Dixie also has three waterways on a new list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. Watchdog group American Rivers listed Georgia’s Flint River at number two due to a proposal to dam the river. The Saluda River in South Carolina came in at number six for its pollution from human waste, and Maryland’s Mattawoman Creek—a rare unspoiled tributary of the Chesapeake Bay—is being threatened by the development of a new highway.
