Turkey Creek named one of nation’s most endangered rivers

A clean water advocacy group has named Turkey Creek one of the nation’s 10 Most Endangered Rivers, a report released today says.

American Rivers, established in 1973, works to protect wild rivers, restore damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature, according to its mission statement.

Turkey Creek was selected in part because of the flooding of neighborhoods adjacent to the waterway, specifically Forest Heights, North Gulfport and Turkey Creek communities.

The worst damage was inflicted during Hurricane Katrina, when all but five of the 200 homes in Forest Heights flooded. Storm surges and routine flooding have been exacerbated by airport, hotel and other commercial sprawl, which also have destroyed forests and wetlands, increasing impervious surfaces, runoff and flooding.

According to American Rivers, the airport and surrounding development have impacted the water quality and health of Turkey Creek as well as the health, safety and economic integrity of the Black communities alongside it.

In addition, more new developments are proposed that could exacerbate the situation.

One of the proposals is for an area for military shipments built by the Port of Gulfport on the site of a former fertilizer factory. The plans call for 3.15 acres of wetlands to be drained. Experts believe that the development risks mobilizing contaminants toward and into the creek — ultimately endangering the health and safety of local residents during the inevitable floods.

Another proposed development includes a road connector route between commercial establishments and the airport. The road will pass just a few hundred yards from the Forest Heights community.

America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2021 underscores the impacts of environmental injustice on rivers nationwide and amplifies frontline efforts to protect rivers and clean water.

Each of the 10 rivers on the list is at a tipping point, facing an urgent decision in the
coming months. Threats to these rivers are threats to human health, safety and
cultural survival. This is particularly true for Indigenous, Black and Latinx people, who
are disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental degradation
— but who are often left out of crucial decision-making spaces, according to American Rivers.

American Rivers reviews nominations for the America’s Most Endangered Rivers® report
from river groups and concerned citizens across the country. Rivers are selected based
upon the following criteria:

• A major decision that the public can help influence in the coming year on the proposed action;
• The significance of the river to human and natural communities;
• The magnitude of the threat to the river and associated communities, especially in light of a changing climate.