Washington -- From outdated flood control schemes to harmful dams and mining projects, our nation’s rivers and clean water are at risk. American Rivers, the nation’s leading river conservation organization, today released America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 edition spotlighting ten rivers in need of urgent action.

Click here for full story : America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2009

I look at that and look at the specific threats for each of the rivers and I'm actually encouraged when I consider what the rivers were up against 32 years ago and how far we've come.
My local river, the Nashua, was basically an open sewer 35 years ago. The river literally ran different colors depending on what they were making at the paper mill that day. Today it's a class B river with healthy fish and wildlife and is an asset to the community.
It's telling that the river polluted by wastewater discharge is "only" struggling with phosphorus levels. That is a sign that the technologies, driven by laws, have come far enough that we are focusing on a pollutant that wasn't even regulated all that long ago. Having worked in wastewater I am very well aware of the challanges of phosphorus control in surface discharge and can honsetly say, it could be a lot worse. Those states slow to embrace the [sometimes expensive] readily available technologies for phosphorus control will be forced to deal with it by the EPA. Once that happens, a properly running surface discharge treatment plant anywhere in the country will be putting out effluent that would far exceed water quality parameters of many rivers 30 years ago.
Look to wastewater to ease the burden of drinking water supply in arid regions. Technology exists already to reclaim so called "grey" water. It's already widely used for non-food irrigation. It could probably be converted to drinking water with existing technology but public sentiment will not allow it, ...yet.

Look to wastewater to ease the burden of drinking water supply in arid regions. Technology exists already to reclaim so called "grey" water. It's already widely used for non-food irrigation. It could probably be converted to drinking water with existing technology but public sentiment will not allow it, ...yet.

They don't give much thought to the fact that most are already drinking treated sewage. There are not very many drinking water intakes that don't have a wastewater treatment plant discharge somewhere upstream. They can also look to the International Space Station for an example of the safe recycling of human waste for drinking water. I think this is also already being done in some other countries.

They don't give much thought to the fact that most are already drinking treated sewage. There are not very many drinking water intakes that don't have a wastewater treatment plant discharge somewhere upstream. They can also look to the International Space Station for an example of the safe recycling of human waste for drinking water. I think this is also already being done in some other countries.

You are absolutely correct. Most good sized cities on major rivers both use river water for drinking as well as to discharge their waste. Every city that uses river water drinks its upstream neighbors' waste. That goes on all over the country and the number of people who get sick is close to zero. And that's with many treatment plants desperately in need of upgrade. Should see a burst of treatment plant upgrades with stimulus money hitting cities.
Never underestimate the power of the EPA to continue to come up ever stricter regulations which states will be compelled to adopt. Even during the Bush years they came up with some pretty stringent regs which have the drinking water suppliers jumping through hoops to keep up [look up "Groundwater Rule" if you're curious].
Most of these regs are meant for public saftey but the evironment can't help but benifit [along with us licensed operators].