The North Carolina Legislature is once again attacking provisions that protect our water. The rivers and streams of North Carolina belong to the people. TAKE ACTION NOW: Call your NC House member and Senator today and tell them you want your water protected. If you have already reached out to them, thank you!

Who is your Representative and Senator? Click HERE

You can send an email to your Representative or Senator HERE

House Bill 765: Tell your legislator you want the following sections of this bill removed: Section 4.18 (eliminates protection of almost all types of wetlands) and Section 4.30-4.31 (rolls back protection of intermittent streams which account for nearly half of all streams in North Carolina, including many that feed public water supplies).

House Bill 44: Tell your legislator you want sections 13 and 14 removed. These sections eliminate effective vegetative buffers which are proved to be the most cost effective way to protect rivers and streams from many different types of pollution.

Note: Many of you in Winston-Salem are in Rep. Hanes, Lambeth or Terry's districts. This bill was originally meant to allow municipalities to clear unmaintained vegetation. Let these representatives know that you do not want their bill twisted!

Sample Message:

(Speak as to why clean water matters to you) - As a mother of two, it is extremely important to me that our state seeks to maintain clean and healthy waterways. Not only for their current safety when recreating in these waters, but also for a healthy future for them, including economic opportunities that clean water can provide. Because of that I ask you not to roll back our environmental protections for our waterways. Please support the removal of sections 4.18 and 4.30-4.31 from House Bill 765 and Sections 13 and 14 from House Bill 44. If those sections are not removed, we ask you to vote "NO" to HB 765 and HB 44 and stand up for clean water and healthy futures! Why are we against HB 765 and 44?

Both HB 765 and 44 would roll back common sense regulations that reduce pollution. If these bills are adopted into law, water quality of our rivers, streams, and creeks will suffer. Ultimately it will cost us (the taxpayers) more to clean them up again. It is up to you to make your voice heard. Please join the fight against these polluter protection bills!

Help us stop this from happening to your water (Photo: Chowan River algal bloom, July, 2015)

For more information please see fact sheets at links below:
Intermittent Streams Fact Sheet for House Bill 765
Buffer Fact Sheet for House Bill 44