We're Celebrating Our Anniversary This Year
Welcome to the Catawba Riverkeeper website. Our mission is to be the voice for the Catawba River. This website is intended to provide you with information about current issues in the Catawba River basin. We encourage you to let us know if there are issues relating to the Catawba River that we should be addressing, but are not currently addressing.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation advocates for and secures protection and enhancement of the Catawba River, its lakes, tributaries and watershed so that it will always sustain the human and wildlife populations that depend on it for life.
Catawba-Wateree Designated as America's Most Endangered River
On April 17, 2008, American Rivers designated the Catawba River as America's most endangered river. For more information, click on the following link: Most Endangered River.
A Cry for the Catawba-published here with permission from The Charlotte Observer
I realized the RIVERKEEPER® was really about the right of any child to cast a line in the river and catch a fish for the family table. Of all the complex issues we would endeavor to solve...none would prove a greater challenge than that small, simple dream. -- John Cronin, founder, Hudson RIVERKEEPER®
Help be the eyes and ears of the Catawba RIVERKEEPER® staff by reporting
- Sewage Overflows
- Exceeding Pollution Limits
- Unpermitted Discharges
1.877.483.7533 or 1-888-679-9494 (Both are toll-free numbers)
During historic drought…to stopping Wal-Mart from illegally storing herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers in parking lots where rainwater washed pollutants that cause birth defects and other reproductive harm into public drinking water supplies of the Catawba River…to leading eleven counties, eight cities, three Marine Commissions, and the South Carolina General Assembly as they took action to oppose the largest inter basin transfer request in the history of North and South Carolina, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation has been your voice for the protection of our river. Whenever your right to clean water is compromised, you know you can count on us to be there.
For the last 10 years, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation has been devoted to the preservation of our river and the concerns of the communities that lie along its basin. Throughout the 14 counties of the Catawba River watershed – flowing through North and South Carolina – the Catawba Riverkeeper works with a support team of volunteers that maintain the river through strong advocacy, public education, building partnerships, investigating violators, holding polluters accountable, and participating in legal action when necessary. The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that no citizen’s right to clean water is taken away.
As an award winning 501(c) 3 non-profit, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation demonstrates impeccable stewardship of the resources our donors invest in our mission, ensuring that intentions are honored and resources are used wisely. As a majority of our patrolling and local calls are handled by volunteers, much of the donated dollar goes directly to our programs.
As the Catawba-Wateree watershed continues to experience unprecedented growth, the need for advocacy, education, and protection of our water source heightens. We served over 1 million people last year – during drought, concerns over unregulated water withdrawals, proposed wastewater discharges, and irresponsible development. Over 1 million people who rely on the Catawba River for the water that flows through their homes and businesses every day. Your generous donations provide us with the extra support that we need to make a lasting difference in the future of the river.
So as you turn on your faucet – whether you are a lakefront resident or reside in the city – know that you are standing on the banks of the Catawba. The right to clean water should matter to everyone, and the Catawba Riverkeeper promises to speak for that right for all its citizens. We’ve shown persistence. We’ve shown dedication. And we’ve succeeded in making change. Let us represent your concerns about access to plentiful, clean drinking water, safe recreation opportunities, and protecting wildlife. Help us, help the river. Make a donation today.
Catawba River Designated as America's Most Endangered River
