2022 In Review

2022 was another busy year on our rivers.  As the year winds to a close let's take a look at some of the highlights and accomplishments.

In 2022 Congaree Riverkeeper:

• Organized cleanups with 138 volunteers that removed 12,559 pieces of trash and debris from our waterways. Take a look at the numbers in our 2022 Cleanup Summary here.
  
  
• Responded to dozens of citizen pollution concerns, from fish kills and sewer spills to construction runoff and illegal dumping.
  
  
• Helped lead local water quality monitoring efforts, like the Midlands Rivers Coalition (HowsMySCRiver.org).

• Continued to advocate for the Congaree River coal tar cleanup, which is now underway.

• Participated in a large national PFAS sampling effort, conducted additional follow-up sampling, and continued our advocacy efforts to address these dangerous forever chemicals.

• Engaged with thousands in the community through our outreach and education efforts in schools, at summer camps, on screens, and more.

• Continued our litigation efforts, alongside our partners, on both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Gills Creek scrap yard lawsuits.

• Submitted numerous public comments on proposed permits, policies, and regulations at the local, state and federal level.

• Continued to support South Carolina's water planning efforts, both at the state level and as a member of the Broad River Basin Council.

• Additionally,  this year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, gave away a SweetWater kayak, and won our second Free Times Best Of Award for Best Green 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!