Welcome to the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
Our River’s designation as America’s Most Endangered River in 2008 and its most recent listing on the Top Ten Endangered Places in the Southeast by the Southern Environment Law Center highlight the need for Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and our volunteers to continue the work of advocating for and securing protection and enhancement of our River.
EPA to Hold Coal Ash Hearing in Charlotte
Charlotte is one of only five locations in the nation where the EPA will be holding hearings on how to regulate coal ash ponds and coal ash disposal sites. You are encouraged to attend the hearing in Charlotte and/or submit written comments to support EPA's efforts to make sure that coal ash does not jeopardize our water. The written comment period has been extended until November 19, 2010. For more information about the hearing and how to submit comments, click here.
CRF Hires Advocate for Upper Catawba
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is happy to announce that it has hired Carrie Mahoney as a full-time advocate to focus on issues in the Upper Catawba River Basin. Carrie lives on Lake Hickory and is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University with a B.S. in Biology. Initially, Carrie will be focussing on meeting individuals and groups interested in the issues affecting the water in the upper Catawba River basin and commenting on the permits to discharge into the waters of the Upper Basin. For more information about Carrie, click here. For more information about the upper Catawba River basin and issues in the upper basin, click here.
Craazzy Kayakers - 150 Miles Complete
Catawba Riverkeeper Volunteers started their trek through the Upper Catawba basin at Linville Gorge on Saturday, August 7, and sailed into Blythe Landing at the southern end of Lake Norman on Saturday, August 14. Volunteers raised funds and increased awareness of water quality issues throughout the Catawba River basin. Travelers spoke with fishermen, paddlers and homeowners as they hiked, paddled and sailed 150 miles on the Catawba River and portaged around its several dams. To see news coverage of their journey, click here. You can also read real-time Twitter posts from their trip on Catawba Riverkeeper's Twitter.
Catawba Riverkeeper Featured in Charlotte Magazine
Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman was profiled in the Feburary issue of Charlotte Magazine. If you ever wondered what the Riverkeeper does, this article provides a good glimpse of the life of the Riverkeeper. To read the article, go to the Charlotte Magazine web site: http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/February-2010/One-Man-and-a-River/.
Discharge Permits Being Reviewed
Did you know that every one of the 200+ permits to discharge pollutants into the streams and rivers in the North Carolina portion of the Catawba Basin comes up for renewal in 2010? These permits include sewage treatment plants, industrial facilities, stormwater discharges and many other sources of pollutants. A list of the permits that are currently being reviewed by DENR in the Mooresville Regional Office of DENR is at http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/bims/reports/permits/pendingNPDESSWMRO.pdf. Catawba Riverkeeper needs your help identifying permit applications that raise significant environmental concerns and commenting on the permit applications. Please contact David Merryman if you are interested in helping provide comments on permit applicaitons.
CRF Releases Results of Heavy Metals and PCBs Sampling on Mtn. Island Lake
Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman along with several volunteers spent April 29th collecting water, sediment and fish samples from Mountain Island Lake that have been analyzed for the presence and concentrations of 8 heavy metals and PCBs. Catawba Riverkeeper found 2 metals present in the water column, 6 metals in its sediment sample and 3 metals in a composite largemouth bass fish tissue sample. More information about this important testing can be found here.
Youth Kayaking Program
During the summer of 2009, Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (CRF) took over 200 youth out on the water through its Youth Kayaking River Expedition (YKRE). At the end of the summer of 2010, the numbers for 2010 will be even higher. The Catawba Riverkeeper partnered with The Salvation Army and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Charlotte and other organizations to take youth out on the River who would not otherwise have the opportunity to go kayaking or get out on the River. This year, the program was expanded to South Carolina through the generosity of the Herbert and Anna Lutz Foundation and the Harris Upchurch Foundation. For more information about the YKRE program, click here.
Get Out On The River!
The Catawba Riverkeeper conducts periodic family paddling trips on different sections of the Catawba River and its tributaries. Come out and canoe or kayak with the Catawba Riverkeeper. In the alternative, get out and paddle on your own.
Photos from recent Spider Lily Eco Tours are posted at 2009 Spider Lily Eco Tour Photos and 2010 Spider Lily Eco Tour Photos. 
Our next group paddling event open to the general public will be a paddling trip with the Riverkeeper in July 2010 and our annual Fall Leaf Tour on Lake James in October 2010. Additional information about the Leaf Tour is at Fall Leaf Tour. To access maps and other information about where to paddle in the basin, click here. Please join us for a paddling trip with the Riverkeeper.
Video About Current Issues
Click below for a 9 minute video about issues facing the Catawba River:
More Catawba Video
Link to more video about the Catawba
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The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to educate people about the Catawba-Wateree River, to protect the River, and to advocate for the River. It is a big job and we need your help. The Catawba-Wateree basin includes approximately 5000 miles of waterways flowing through 11 major lakes. The basin includes portions of 24 counties in North Carolina and South Carolina. Please read the upcoming events for some opportunities to participate in efforts to protect our River.
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FOR INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PROTECT THE CATAWBA RIVER AND WATEREE RIVER, CLICK HERE.
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For more information about the Covekeeper programs please contact the Catawba Riverkeeper david@catawbariverkeeper.org. You can view information about each of the covekeeper programs by clicking on the following links:
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Job Openings
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation is not currently seeking to fill any paid staff positions. However, CRF is always willing to consider applications for unpaid student interns. More information about job openings is available here.
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The CRF site's banner photographs have been generously contributed by
Bill Stokes and Randy Miller.
