News about the S.C. Portion of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin
Catawba River One of Top 10 Endangered Places in the South
On January 26, 2012, the Southern Environmental Law Center announced its annual list of the Top 10 Endangered Places in the Solutheastern U.S. The Catawba-Wateree River was back on the list as the 3rd most endangered place in the Southeast because of the threats from coal ash, power plant water use and unnecessary reservoirs.
Catawba Riverkeeper Files Lawsuit Against SCE&G
On January 12, 2012, The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Catawba Riverkeeper, filed a lawsuit against SCE&G to require a cleanup of coal ash ponds with a long history of leakage.
Concerns Raised Again About Coal Ash Pond on Wateree River
Coal ash pervasive: 2 billion pounds of power plant waste gets in ponds, landfills in SC.
Volunteers Begin Water Quality Tests
You can help with the tests of water quality and clarity. Info below on how to get a “Secchi Disk” test kit
Catawba Riverkeeper Fights Sewage Permit
Tega Cay Water Service has been exceeding its permit limits and harming Lake Wylie for more than two years. Catawba Riverkeeper has asked for a hearing on DHEC's recommendation to allow Tega Cay Water Service to continue to pollute.
Riversweep Volunteers Set Record
The 9th Annual Lake Wylie Riversweep, organized by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and Lake Wylie Covekeepers, set new records for the number of volunteers. Althouth the amount of trash collected was slightly less than last year, this might be a sign that there is less trash in the lake.
Explaining End-of-Summer Fish Kills
Late-summer fish kills have become an annual event on NC and SC lakes. For an explanation, read on.
Southeast Water Efficiency Policies
Water efficiency is our best source of affordable water and must be the backbone of water supply planning.
Voice of the Rivers Program
Students from Brevard College begin their journey down the mighty Catawba, from its headwaters to the Atlantic Ocean, on May 16.
REI helps launch Youth Kayaking program with Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
REI awards CRF with a generous grant donation to help launch our 2009 youth kayak river expedition program to reach youth with the message of conservation and environmental stewardship.
Water Quality Facts
The Catawba-Wateree River is under increasing stress from the growing population in the basin, outdated development practices, and inadequate regulatory protection for the River. In 2008, American Rivers, a river advocacy group, named the Catawba River as the most endangered river in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. EPA announced that four of the 44 highest hazard coal ash ponds in the United States are located on the Catawba River and all of these high hazard ash ponds are located on reservoirs used as a source of drinking water.
