Indigenous communities, environmental advocates, and national groups are raising concerns over planned pipeline projects that could threaten a major waterway in North Carolina.
Last week, the national organization American Rivers announced the Dan River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2026. The Dan River, which crosses the North Carolina and Virginia border eight times, is ranked #8 on the list of the nation’s 10 most threatened waterways.
The national group cited threats from two major gas pipelines, the Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Project (MVP Southgate), which could jeopardize drinking water, wildlife, and Indigenous communities.
“Energy production can’t come at the expense of our most vital of resources — our nation’s freshwater,” stated Alice Broderick, a spokesperson for American Rivers, in the press release. “There is always a risk when pipelines are built along our rivers. These pipelines have to be constructed with the most stringent protections in place for the Dan River and the people that depend on it.”
According to the organization’s press release, the Dan River originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and flows 214 miles east into North Carolina, where it joins the Roanoke River at Kerr Reservoir.
The river supplies drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people along its stretch and holds deep significance for Indigenous communities, including the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Saura, and related Siouan-speaking communities, whose ancestral villages, burial sites, and ceremonial landscapes line its banks.
“The Dan River is a life source for hundreds of thousands of people and a sacred cultural corridor for Indigenous communities. Any project that risks contaminating these waters or disturbing ancestral sites must be held to the highest legal and ethical standards,” stated Dr. Crystal Cavalier, Executive Director, 7 Directions of Service, in the press release. “Consultation with all Indigenous leadership is not optional—it is a responsibility.”
Organizations like 7 Directions of Service, Clean Water for NC, and Dan Riverkeeper, along with the American Rivers, are calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and North Carolina Governor Josh Stein to:
- Ensure Clean Water Act standards are upheld throughout construction.
- Indigenous communities are consulted before proceeding with pipeline construction.
- Pipeline companies are held accountable for protecting water quality, wildlife, and communities along the waterway.
To view the full America’s Most Endangered Rivers® list of 2026, check it out here.
