| | Thank you for being a member of the Savannah Riverkeeper family. It’s people just like you that enable us to protect and celebrate the river and watershed we call home. |
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| | Stat of the Month In the past year, Savannah Riverkeeper staff have driven more than 17000 miles in service to the river and watershed. For thos keeping track, that’s the equivalent of driving the length of the river approximately 43 times. We will keep on trucking. |
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| | | News from the Riverkeeper |
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| | | The Savannah River Basin is Experiencing Historic Drought Conditions |
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| Georgia saw 14.82 inches of rain between September and March — the lowest recorded total for that stretch since 1896, and not by a little. By a lot. It is true we saw a few afternoon thunderstorms in April and so far in May, but only enough to settle the dust on your windshield. Not nearly enough to heal a watershed. Right now, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has declared a Level 1 drought. In some parts of the basin, particularly in the lower end, the triggers have been met for Level 2, and it doesn’t look like things will be getting better soon. A slow tropical storm season last year, El Nino forecasts for the coming months, and predictions of a hot summer means the already historic drought will continue to stress habitats, raise water temperatures, and concentrate pollution. This is the part where we stop pretending drought is something that happens somewhere else. Here’s what you can do to help ensure there’s enough water to go around: - Fix dripping faucets and check toilets for silent leaks
- Keep showers to five minutes or less
- Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators
- Only run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads
- Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap cold
- Reuse “greywater” from rinsing vegetables or waiting for shower water to heat up
- Water gardens early in the morning to reduce evaporation
- Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses instead of spray hoses
- Add 3–4 inches of mulch around plants and trees to retain soil moisture
- Sweep driveways and patios instead of hosing them down
- Allow lawns to go dormant during severe drought conditions
- Prioritize watering trees, shrubs, and food-producing plants
- Check out the EPA WaterSense Program for water-efficient fixtures and appliances
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| | | | An old saying goes that the solution to pollution is dilution. It’s equal parts truth, warning, and, right now, a flashing red light.
That’s because drought changes everything.
The Savannah River is running low. Creeks are stalling into shallow pools, wetlands are drying at the edges, and rainfall deficits have left the Basin stressed in ways that can’t be fixed by a passing thunderstorm. In some places water levels are lower than they have been in more than 130 years.
And as those water levels drop, pollution concentrates.
The things we normally measure in parts-per-million are becoming more potent. Runoff is hitting harder and wastewater has less room to disperse. Algae blooms are becoming more prevalent and, as a result, fish and wildlife face increased pressure.
The Savannah River Basin is more than a water source. It is recreation, history, economy, habitat, memory, and identity stretched across two states and hundreds of communities. When drought tightens its grip, every mile of river feels it.
This is the moment to Hold the Line.
That’s why Savannah Riverkeeper is launching a capital campaign focused on a simple truth: if the river is under greater stress, vigilance must increase.
Our immediate needs include expanding our water quality monitoring network across the Basin, investing in new equipment and rapid-response testing capabilities, and strengthening our ability to identify pollution threats during one of the driest periods our watershed has experienced in generations.
This isn’t something that needs to happen after the fish kill or contamination advisories. This is not something that can happen after the river reaches crisis stage.
It must happen now.
Clean water does not protect itself. The river deserves advocates willing to meet this moment with urgency, science, and action.
Please, help us help the river through a donation, membership, or volunteerism. |
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| | | | A lake or river can look cool, calm, and inviting - until they aren't.
Here is a piece of wet wisdom. Please share it.
In lakes, rivers, and the ocean, visibility can disappear fast and what your family wears may matter more than you think.
Bright, high-visibility swimwear - neon orange, yellow, pink - helps you spot someone instantly. Blues and greens blend into the water in seconds.
It’s not about style. It’s about safety.
Especially for kids. Especially when every second counts.
Make it bright. Make it visible. Make sure everyone comes home safe. |
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| | | | There are moments when protecting a river means showing up at a hearing and stepping into a courtroom. That’s where Savannah Riverkeeper finds itself today. Alongside 11 environmental and advocacy organizations, Savannah Riverkeeper has joined an amicus brief filed in support of the ACLU of South Carolina in a case now before the South Carolina Supreme Court. At the center of the case is a legal principle known as “public importance standing” — the idea that communities should have the right to challenge threats to shared public resources, even when the damage may not fall neatly on one individual alone. It may sound like legal language. But on the ground, it means something simple and essential: the public deserves a voice. Without public importance standing, it becomes dramatically harder for communities to challenge pollution, resist environmental harm, or hold powerful interests accountable. The people most affected by contamination and environmental injustice could find the courthouse doors closed before their concerns are ever heard. For organizations like Savannah Riverkeeper, this fight is about more than legal procedure. It’s about preserving one of the few tools ordinary citizens have to defend the places they love and depend upon. |
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| | | It’s in the Air That You Breath |
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| Savannah Riverkeeper has joined a coalition of health and environmental groups asking a federal court to hold the EPA accountable for missing a clear, legal obligation - identifying which communities across the country are breathing unhealthy levels of fine particulate pollution. These designations aren’t paperwork. They are a starting line. Without them, the stronger protections required under the Clean Air Act don’t kick in. No timelines. No targeted reductions. No urgency where it’s most needed. And that matters, because this kind of pollution - and the problems it causes - aren't abstract. Think asthma attacks, heart disease, cancer, missed days, and shortened lives. This is settled science and the harm is compounding and ongoing. The law gave the EPA two years to act. It didn’t. Now, we’re asking the court to make sure it does, because clean air can’t wait. |
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| | | SIx Months Before You Know It |
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| Savannah Riverkeeper has recently taken up arms against a plan to cap current studies around the proposed Savannah Harbor deepening project at 180 days and, in its wake, proposed a formalized agreement between Georgia and South Carolina sharing water data. Six months dramatically compresses the window for scientific review, interagency coordination, and public understanding. In an era of increasing drought, saltwater intrusion concerns, industrial demand, and population growth, timely access to complete and shared data is no longer simply beneficial — it is essential. Without a formalized framework for data exchange between Georgia and South Carolina, critical decisions affecting the Savannah River Basin risk being made without the fullest possible scientific picture. |
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| | | | Savannah Riverkeeper Tonya Bonitatibus engages in a little light archeology during a recent cleanup with the Lake Burton Community Association. She claimed it was some Jurassic. We think it might be more Life Raftic. |
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| | | Celebrating 25 Years of Savannah Riverkeeper |
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| To mark our 25th anniversary, Savannah Riverkeeper is launching The Savannah River Legacy Fund, our most transformative campaign to date. We are establishing three permanent $1.5 million endowments to permanently fund a dedicated ‘super team’ of Riverkeepers for the Upper, Middle, and Lower Savannah River. This visionary ‘Super Team’ structure brings three locally-based Riverkeepers - one each from the Upper, Middle, and Lower basins - together. Supported by a central team of experts in science, policy, advocacy, and communications, the Riverkeepers can ensure the entire Savannah River basin receives holistic protection, combining deep local knowledge with powerful, unified voice. Each of the three $1.5 million endowments will fund a Riverkeeper in that region forever — a local champion for your community’s water. It also assures a pool of ‘match’ money - the 1-for-1 cash match - required for many of the large federal and foundation grants essential to the Savannah Riverkeeper mission. We hope you will participate in our $1.5 for 25 Campaign. For more information, contact us at in...@savannahriverkeeper.org. |
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| | Upcoming and Ongoing Events |
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