Connect with Us:
The Power of Information
Facebook Page Twitter @enviroblog Youtube Channel Our RSS Feeds
6 Years in a Row
Top rated, 2003-2008
At EWG, our team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers pores over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and our own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. Our research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know.
Dishonorable Discharge: The 50 Most Polluted Rivers in the Country
| Rank | River/Waterbody | States with toxic discharges contributing to water pollution | Total pounds of direct toxic discharges to water (1990-1994) |
| 1 | Mississippi River | TN, AR, LA, MO, IL, MN, WI, IA, KY, MS | 702,496,748 |
| 2 | Pacific Ocean | OR, HI, CA | 35,195,908 |
| 3 | Ohio River | IL, IN, OH, KY, WV, PA | 22,072,491 |
| 4 | Tennessee River | KY, TN, AL | 22,031,743 |
| 5 | Houston Ship Channel | TX | 18,235,338 |
| 6 | Ward Cove | AK | 14,261,169 |
| 7 | Savannah River | GA, SC | 13,968,965 |
| 8 | Delaware River | DE, PA, NJ | 13,329,248 |
| 9 | Thames River | CT | 13,312,639 |
| 10 | Grays Harbor | WA | 10,840,795 |
| 11 | Rock River | IL, WI | 8,165,469 |
| 12 | Straits Of Juan De Fuca | WA | 7,899,229 |
| 13 | Amelia River | FL | 7,461,070 |
| 14 | Gravelly Run | VA | 6,330,209 |
| 15 | Calcasieu River | LA | 5,427,508 |
| 16 | Ouachita River | AR, LA | 4,925,933 |
| 17 | Mobile River | AL | 4,572,055 |
| 18 | Columbia River | WA, OR | 4,368,387 |
| 19 | Holston River | TN | 4,098,240 |
| 20 | Genesee River | NY | 3,672,733 |
| 21 | Kansas River | KS | 3,420,965 |
| 22 | Martins Creek | MS | 3,339,065 |
| 23 | Indiana Harbor Ship Canal | IN | 2,578,038 |
| 24 | Brazos River | TX | 2,442,430 |
| 25 | Cuyahoga River | OH | 2,427,663 |
| 26 | Patapsco River | MD | 2,329,123 |
| 27 | Kanawha River | WV | 2,320,910 |
| 28 | Susquehanna River | PA, NY | 2,144,339 |
| 29 | Quinnipiac River | CT | 2,105,384 |
| 30 | Fenholloway River | FL | 1,896,369 |
| 31 | Cedar River | IA | 1,881,803 |
| 32 | Everett Harbor | WA | 1,749,650 |
| 33 | Hudson River | NJ, NY | 1,729,084 |
| 34 | Missouri River | NE, KS, MO, ND, IA | 1,727,759 |
| 35 | Neches River | TX | 1,645,307 |
| 36 | Alabama River | AL | 1,613,809 |
| 37 | Escambia Bay | FL | 1,568,522 |
| 38 | Wisconsin River | WI | 1,553,152 |
| 39 | Wabash River | IL, IN, OH | 1,532,308 |
| 40 | Blackwater River | VA | 1,488,346 |
| 41 | Detroit River | MI | 1,449,750 |
| 42 | Little Attapulgus Creek | GA | 1,431,183 |
| 43 | Androscoggin River | ME, NH | 1,388,133 |
| 44 | Escatawpa River | MS | 1,358,148 |
| 45 | Pigeon River | NC | 1,325,423 |
| 46 | Cook Inlet | AK | 1,322,140 |
| 47 | Cape Fear River | NC | 1,319,953 |
| 48 | Des Moines River | IA | 1,270,304 |
| 49 | Tombigbee River | MS, AL | 1,210,471 |
| 50 | Willamette River | OR | 1,202,737 |
| Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Toxics Release Inventory 1990-1994. | |||
