The Susquehanna River has been named the most endangered river in the nation by American Rivers, heading a top-10 list of rivers threatened by by sewage contamination.

		Graphic: Most endangered U.S. rivers

The national environmental group, which issues an annual list of endangered rivers, said the Susquehanna also is threatened by agricultural pesticides and fertilizer runoff and a proposal by Wilkes-Barre to construct an inflatable dam that would create a deep pool for jet skis and party barges.

"The volume of untreated and poorly treated sewage that ends up in the river is a serious threat to the health of the river and everyone who wants to enjoy it," said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers. "Improving sewage treatment along the Susquehanna will go a long way towards saving the Chesapeake Bay. It's a two-for-one bargain."

The Susquehanna river drains most of Central Pennsylvania and is the single biggest tributary coming into the Chesapeake Bay. It flows through Binghamton, N.Y., and Scranton, Harrisburg, Lancaster and York -- older cities with sewer systems and treatment plants that cannot handle sewage treatment, especially during storm events when overflows of untreated sewage are common.

"Improved sewage infrastructure and increased funding to reduce agricultural pollution are critical investment needs essential to improving water quality in the bay and Pennsylvania's rivers and streams," said William Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a bay advocacy group.

Rivers that made the organization's top-10 list are not necessarily badly polluted. "These are rivers that in our judgment face a most uncertain future or are poised to take a turn for the worse."

American Rivers and the other environmental groups urged Congress to provide an additional $12 billion for river and bay cleanup requested by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and the governors of Maryland and Virginia.

According to American Rivers, more than 860 million gallons of untreated sewage foul the nation's rivers each year, and the group warned that proposed federal policy changes aimed at weakening treatment requirements will make the problem worse.

Scientists believe that as many as 3.5 million Americans a year get sick after swimming, boating, fishing or touching water contaminated by sewage borne diseases. Between 1985 and 2000, the Centers for Disease Control documented 251 separate disease outbreaks and nearly half a million cases of waterborne illness in the United States, and many outbreaks go unidentified and unreported.

The river advocacy groups also say the inflatable dam proposed by Wilkes-Barre will trap sewage and increase health risks from waterborne pathogens. Luzerne County officials will apply for permits to construct the dam next week.

Sara Nicholas, an American Rivers spokeswoman in Pennsylvania, said the environmental groups will urge the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny the permits.

The American Rivers list this year also includes the Little Miami River in southeastern Ohio; Santee River in South Carolina; McCrystal Creek in New Mexico; the Fraser River in Colorado; the Skykomish River in Washington; Roan Creek in Tennessee; the Tuolumne and Santa Clara rivers in California and the Price River in Utah.