What is the worst that can happen to a river? That it vanishes, and all its life vanishes with it: the people, the plants, the animals--not just the fish, but the crops, the cattle, the forests, the everything. All are made mostly of water. Look around--what is in that leaf, that spider, that deer, that petal?--WATER! And although many animals and (mostly tiny) plants live in the sea in salt water, it is the fresh water in the land, derived from rain, which supports us and our main natural resources.