White Salmon River - White Water Rafting Washington

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

Sections of both the White Salmon River and the Klickitat River , run by Wet Planet, are designated for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. On November 17, 1986, a nine-mile stretch of the White Salmon River received classification as a Scenic River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. On the same day, a ten-mile stretch of the Klickitat River received classification as a Recreational River. The unique opportunity our guests have to travel in these remarkable river environments is all the more impressive when one considers that currently less than 1 percent of our nation’s river miles have been designated for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Congress created the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968, as a balance to the country's previous policy of unrestricted daming and constructing along river corridors. This landmark piece of legislation established a system for the protection of rivers that are deemed to have remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or similar values. The act requires that rivers or river sections designated for protection and their immediate environments be preserved in their free flowing conditions for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. Rivers designated for protection are classified as wild, scenic, or recreational depending upon varying degrees of pre-existing development. The different classifications provide the river with corresponding varying degrees of protection. The act typically protects the river and a quarter-mile wide riparian corridor along the river from dams, diversions, and other development.

Rivers can receive designation for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in different ways. Citizen groups or local governments can propose a river section for inclusion in the act by convincing their Representative to introduce a study bill to Congress. Once this bill has been introduced, Congress completes an evaluation of the river's remarkable values and determines whether or not it should receive protection. It is also possible for a state governor to nominate rivers for protection directly to the Secretary of the Interior. Rivers nominated in this fashion must already be protected by the state under an existing operating plan and must pass a National Park Service review.

Both the Congressional Study and the National Park Service review allow for significant public input, and both processes must ultimately determine that the river’s protection is in the public’s interest. As a result, politics play a significant role throughout the process, and the act has often been criticized for making it too difficult for a river to receive protection. As we mentioned earlier, less than one percent of our nation’s river miles have been designated for protection.

Regardless of the cumbersome process through which rivers receive Wild and Scenic designation, this piece of legislation has been one of the most important pieces of legislation allowing for the protection of this nation’s river corridors. It provides for a national policy of recognizing the remarkable values of certain rivers and a system through which those qualities can be protected. Without a doubt, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has been instrumental in protecting some of the nation’s premiere rivers, such as the White Salmon River and the Klickitat River, from the threat of dams or diversions.