Catawba Riverkeeper files to join the clean water citizen suit against New-Indy mill in Catawba, SC.

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Catawba Riverkeeper files to join the clean water citizen suit against New-Indy mill in Catawba, SC.

Brandon Jones • Apr 12, 2023

Represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Catawba Riverkeeper has filed a Motion to Intervene in the latest case against the New-Indy papermill.

Represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Catawba Riverkeeper has filed a Motion to Intervene in the latest case against the New-Indy papermill. We are seeking the court's approval to join the citizen suit which was filed on February 13th, 2023. The suit alleges that New- Indy’s waste disposal and storage practices violate federal pollution statutes, including the Clean Water Act. As an intervenor, our organization hopes to secure the cleanup of industrial waste stored on the banks of the Catawba River.

What does it mean to intervene in a lawsuit?

Under federal law, interested parties can request to join a lawsuit after it has been filed. Catawba Riverkeeper has filed to intervene to represent our mission, the interests of our members, and the well-being of the Catawba River. The plaintiffs’ legal team has welcomed the motion.

What is the lawsuit about?

There are currently several active cases against New-Indy, which are related to the smell. While we are sympathetic to nuisance and air quality concerns, Catawba Riverkeeper is focused on the mill’s current and future impacts to the Catawba River. The case we are joining (Chin et al v. New-Indy Catawba LLC, 0:23-cv-00602 (D.S.C. 2023)) alleges violations of the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the handling and disposal of solid waste.

Like the millions of tons of coal ash now being excavated from sites along the Catawba as a result of prior litigation, papermill waste is being stored in large unlined lagoons near the banks of the Catawba River. Our goal is to protect current and future users by requiring the removal of New-Indy’s waste from unlined storage near the river.

More information on the citizen suits can be found at newindyclassaction.com.

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Celebrate Earth Month With Us!

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!