What is the Lehigh River used for?

Its upper course is characterized by numerous whitewater rapids and supports recreational pursuits, including rafting, kayaking, and canoeing. Its lower course forms the heart of the Lehigh Valley, a historically important anthracite coal and steel-producing region of Pennsylvania.



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Washington — American Rivers today named Pennsylvania's Lehigh River among America's Most Endangered Rivers®, citing the threat that poorly planned proliferation of warehouse and distribution centers poses to river health.

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Cultural health, sacred places, and traditional food sources are threatened along the Colorado River's Grand Canyon, Alaska's Chilkat River, and Washington's Snake River.

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American Rivers, a national nonprofit aimed at protecting waterways, has named the Lehigh as one of its top 10 most endangered rivers in 2023 because of the explosive growth in the past few years of warehouses that rim the watershed.

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However, continued development threatens the 109-mile tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania, according to an annual report of the health of rivers in the U.S. American Rivers ranked the Lehigh River 7th out of 10 in its “America's Most Endangered Rivers” report.

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