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Tires: What's the problem and what can you do about it?

Mar 06, 2024

Tires in our lakes, rivers, and streams

The Problem

What was once believed to be good for fish habitat, tires are now known to leach toxins and cancer causing chemicals, such as 6PPD-Quinone, zinc, and other heavy metals, into our waters and are absorbed by fish and humans. Last year, we removed 1,000 tires from local waterways and we know there's a lot more out there.

Two Things You Can Do About it TODAY!

  1. If you live in SC, tell your state senator to support S. 1020, which formally criminalizes the dumping of tires on land and in waters of SC when permission is not given. If found guilty, the offending party will be charged with a misdemeanor. 
  2. Sign up to volunteer to remove tires from Lake Wateree while the water levels are down on Saturday, March 30th. Thanks to financial support from PalmettoPride, we'll have the equipment to get a lot of tires out in one day. But, we need volunteers to help with this special project. We'll meet at Molly Creek Landing at 10 AM.
Sign up to help remove tires on Lake Wateree
05 Apr, 2024
Happy Earth Month! While every month is Earth Month here at Catawba Riverkeeper, we’re excited about the extra attention and enthusiasm for protecting our local environment that comes every April! Throughout this month, we're amplifying our efforts to spread awareness and provide a variety of options for you to get out and learn from, engage in, or advocate for the preservation, protection, and restoration of our shared waterways. Because of that, our calendar is jam-packed with public and private cleanups, guided tours, education programing, outreach events, and fun activities at Confluence & The River Room all month long. Just take a look at some of the events we have going on! In honor of Earth Month, we hope that you engage with us in some of these events by volunteering your time to clean up our water, learning more about issues affecting our water, and sharing our work and mission with other people as ambassadors. If you'd like to make an Earth Month contribution to Catawba Riverkeeper, you can give to our Spring Education Appeal, help us purchase a new Catawba Riverkeeper vehicle, or attend our Ambassador Training and represent us at events throughout the year. Our work is not possible without the support of people like you. We are only a drop in the bucket of worldwide water conservation efforts, but with the support of people like you, we can make mighty waves of change! Thank you in advance for your support, and happy Earth Month!
18 Mar, 2024
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11 Mar, 2024
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