2021 In Review

At Congaree Riverkeeper we're continually working to protect our rivers. As another year comes to a close, we want to take a quick look at some of 2021's highlights and accomplishments.

• With the help of more than 150 volunteers we removed 11,128 pieces of trash and debris from our waterways. Check out the numbers in our 2021 Cleanup Summary here.
  
  
• We responded to dozens of citizen pollution concerns, including sewer overflows and a large diesel fuel spill.
  
  
• We engaged thousands of people with our education and outreach efforts.
  
  
• The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Carolina Water Service can't charge their customers  the $400,000+ in attorney's fees related to the lawsuit that we filed to end their illegal pollution of the Lower Saluda River.

• Along with our partners at the Gills Creek Watershed Association, and represented by SCELP, we appealed a decision that would allow a scrap yard to operate on the banks of Gills Creek.

• We've been working hard to try and undo the regulatory rollbacks of the previous administration, from our NEPA lawsuit, to submitting comments on Clean Water Act revisions and numerous other efforts.

• We continued to lead local water quality monitoring efforts like the Midlands Rivers Coalition.

• We continued to engage in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's proposed relicensing of the troubled Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel Plant in Richland County, submitting multiple rounds of public comments. You can read the latest on that issue here.

• Additionally, we were featured in a plastic pollution documentary that recently aired on SCETV, we were highlighted as Fig Magazine's Social Mission partner throughout the year, and we won our first ever Free Times Best Of Award for Best Green Business or Initiative.

Of course, we couldn't do this important work without the help of our donors, volunteers and partners. Thank you to everyone who supported our work for clean water and healthy rivers!