Yadkin Riverkeeper is seeking to hire a Summer Communications Fellow.
Read moreThere Is A Place In The Movement For All Of Us (Earth Day 2021)
Community organizers say there is space in the movement for ALL of us. Social Movements, often referred to as movements, are sustained campaigns in support of a social goal, typically related to the implementation of a change in society's values. As we work to create a more just and equitable society, the language of "movement" is often used. Examples of "movements" include but are not limited to the Women's Rights, Social Justice, Abolitionist, and the Environmental movements. The Environmental Movement is an umbrella where other distinctive movements derive yet focus on specific ideas like water protection, climate, conservation, etc.
Read moreNC Division of Water Resources Rejects Alcoa Badin Business Park’s Special Order by Consent (SOC)
The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has withdrawn from Alcoa Badin Business Park’s (ABBP) proposed Special Order by Consent or “SOC.” The SOC would have allowed ABBP to divert contaminated stormwater currently going into Little Mountain Creek into Badin Lake. Alcoa requested the SOC because it has been unable to consistently meet existing limits for cyanide and fluoride in its discharge into Little Mountain Creek. Under the SOC, Alcoa would have diverted that discharge into Badin Lake, where the contaminants would be diluted in a regulatory “mixing zone” allowing ABBP to meet state water quality standards. Read the press release here.
Read moreStories Connect Us Like the River
Stories are what connect us… Stories of the land, stories of the water, stories of the people.
Read moreYRK's Annual Meeting Presentation
Comments on Proposed Special Order by Consent for the Badin Business Park Facility NPDES Permit NC0004308, EMC SOC WQ S19-009
Please click here to read the full comment letter plus attachments.
Unacceptable Permit Changes Proposed for Alcoa’s Badin Business Park Stormwater Discharge: YRK Calls for Public Hearing
The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources recently published notice of its intent to issue a Special Order by Consent (SOC) for Alcoa’s Badin Business Park located in Badin, NC. The facility discharges groundwater, stormwater and fire protection water into Little Mountain Creek and Badin Lake. It is unclear from the SOC how the design and construction of an upgraded stormwater piping system will help BBP attain compliance with the final effluent limitations in BBP’s NPDES Permit NC0004308. Yadkin Riverkeeper is opposed to the state issuing the SOC as it will increase pollution in Badin Lake.
Read moreWallace and Graham Gives Foundation Partners with Yadkin Riverkeeper and the Waterkeeper Alliance to Provide Sustainable BBQ to Frontline Caregivers
Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) with support from the Wallace and Graham Gives Foundation and the Waterkeeper Alliance's Pure Farms, Pure Water campaign, will be providing sustainably raised BBQ pork and chicken from Crossings Farm in Lexington to Lutheran Services Carolinas. Lutheran Services Carolinas will distribute the BBQ to frontline caregivers serving the elderly and homebound Covid-19 patients on December 12.
Read more“Good Morning Gummi Bears” – a Yadkin River trip report (October 2-4, 2020)
It was not a good morning…as the day of the trip dawned. Don’t get me wrong…the weather was absolutely perfect and water levels were spot on, but a week of being on call for work, complete with middle of the night crisis calls had left me sleep deprived and delirious. A night camping at Warrior Creek, before putting in at Tailwater on Friday morning would normally have been a welcome respite…but there was a bear in the campground, grunting, bellowing, and rummaging on into the night, and it was cold. So morning arrived at 4am, despite efforts to extend the slumber…I packed up camp, and then simultaneously consoled myself and celebrated turning off the work phone by indulging in a wonderful, greasy two egg and bacon breakfast at 6am, along with a few other solitary souls who silently occupied our respective booths at the Coffee House Diner in Wilkesboro. Unable to ignore the unseasonable chill and with plans to hammock camp for the next two nights, I stopped at Walmart after breakfast to improve the sleeping situation. Doors didn’t open until 7, so a quick parking lot nap was had…a sounding alarm, extra foam pad, and $15 puffy vest later, it was time to put the boat into the river. On this blurry morning however, I forgot the gummi bear.
Read moreYRK Completes “Roadmap to a Cleaner Yadkin”
Yadkin Riverkeeper is excited to announce the release of the “Roadmap to a Cleaner Yadkin,” which will lay the foundation for prioritizing our efforts to improve water quality in High Rock Lake and the upper Yadkin River. Funded by a the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Wells Fargo Resilient Communities program, the report is the culmination of several years of work with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) to develop and apply a GIS-based assessment tool to project nutrient and sediment runoff in the Yadkin River watershed above High Rock Lake (HRL).
Read moreRiverkeeper Offers Guidance for Safe Paddling
You’re all packed up and ready to go! The gear is in the back seat and the boats are tied down, ready to float down the Yadkin for a fun day of paddling or fishing. Unfortunately, it started raining two days ago, and though it has stopped now, you’re wondering what the river will be like – is it safe to paddle? That question depends a lot on your skill level, but there is a solid source to check out to help make that decision before you leave the house: The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Stream gauges.
Read moreUpcoming Triennial Review
The upcoming 2020-22 Triennial Review of North Carolina’s water quality standards conducted by the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the NC Environmental Management Commission (EMC) will be a major focus for Yadkin Riverkeeper in the last half of 2020 and most likely well in to 2021. The Triennial Review is the state regulatory agency’s periodic assessment of existing and proposed water quality standards, including many of YRK’s priorities.
Read moreRiverkeeper Summer 2020 Update
We are halfway through a very unusual year, and I wanted to provide Yadkin Riverkeeper members with an update of our work so far. Even with the lockdown, the restrictions, and other adjustments we have had to make for Covid 19, Yadkin Riverkeeper has still been at work throughout the watershed.
Read moreNC DEQ Issues Title VI Civil Rights Report
While there is no denying the reality of progress when it comes to addressing injustice, as recent events have shown, reality also lets us find fault in the systems even where progress is being made. Such is the case with the state of North Carolina’s efforts to respond to environmental justice groups that have formally complained on behalf of residents who are being unjustly exposed to health and property risk directly related to large scale hog production. The most recent being concerns with a report published by the NC Department of Environmental Quality that assesses the state’s efforts to address a range of air and water quality concerns related to large scale animal operations.
Read moreYRK Statement on Structural Racism and Racial Inequality
Yadkin Riverkeeper stands ready to support communities of color in mutual efforts to eliminate systemic, institutional racism in our community and country. We realize though, that as an organization and individuals, we are not where we need to be, but let us be clear: We support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Marc Yaggi, executive director of the Waterkeepers Alliance, in response to the unjustified killings of black and brown men and women by the police, has encouraged all Waterkeeper organizations to not only keep fighting for environmental justice, but also to fight racism and its root causes. His suggestion on where to start: Our own backyard. To quote from his statement, “Building a truly multiracial, inclusive environmental movement will also involve changing the culture of our organizations.”
Read moreSpring Appeal Letter
These are unprecedented and uncertain times, but we must all work together to get through this crisis. The Yadkin Riverkeeper board and staff are committed to continue our work to protect and enhance the river, but we need your help to meet this challenge.
Read moreYadkin Riverkeeper Launches Sustainable Farms Initiative
One of the compelling story lines emerging in response to the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of local farms and access to locally produced food. Did you know that there are more than 1,000 farms in the Yadkin River watershed that market their products directly to consumers, generating nearly $6.5 million for local, mostly rural communities?
Read moreCOVID-19 Updates
We want to give you some updates on changes that are happening at Yadkin Riverkeeper due to COVID-19.
Read moreYRK Comments on Proposed Coal Ash Basin Closure Plan for Duke Energy’s Buck Power Station
Nearly 50 concerned citizens gathered at North Rowan High School in Spencer on the evening on February 24 to learn more about Duke Energy’s closure plan for its coal ash basins at the Buck Power Station on the Yadkin River in Rowan County. The NC Department of Environmental Quality or NCDEQ, conducted the hearing and will be responsible for approving final closure plans and other water quality permits.
Read moreYadkin Riverkeeper Addresses Misinformation on Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Replacement Rule
With last week’s release of the new rule changes to the Clean Water Act, there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation spread on the internet about the effect of the changes. YRK would like to address some of those statements.
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