An unseasonably and unusually intense winter thunderstorm on January 10 brought rainfalls levels of three to four inches to the Northwest and Central Piedmont in a matter of several hours leading to widespread flooding throughout the watershed on January 11. The Yadkin crested at just over 25’ on January 11 at the Yadkin College US Geologic Survey stream gauge near the Highway 64 bridge as it crosses the River between Davidson and Davie Counties. The River rose almost 24 feet in 24 hours and spilled out of its banks.

Wetlands have been described as the kidneys of the waters and land. They filter out pollution and store water during heavy rainfall events. They also provide vital habitat for fish and myriad other species. But in the past few months, the US Supreme Court and North Carolina legislature ended protections for over 2.5 million acres of wetlands in the State. Expect dirtier water, fewer trout, increased flooding, and a decrease in ecosystem quality as a result.

In the Yadkin River watershed, this could mean less protection for our isolated wetlands, floodplains and headwater streams. Although less than two percent of the watershed’s land base is classified as wetlands, these filters are critical to limiting flooding, reducing sediment and nutrient pollution runoff into the river and protecting drinking water supplies for more than 1 million North Carolinians.

Your past support for Yadkin Riverkeeper helped us achieve our goal of uniting communities along the River around the common goals of improving water quality and recreational access throughout the watershed. Protecting our most fundamental natural resource necessary for survival is critical to our future sustainability.

Almost 60 community members and activists, including the Yadkin Riverkeeper, rallied in Badin, NC to call on the NC Department of Environmental Quality to require Alcoa Badin Business Park to clean up hazardous waste disposal sites that continue to leach toxic cyanide and fluoride into Badin Lake and Little Mountain Creek, which flow into Lake Tillery.

After scaling back plans for doing the entire 130-mile Yadkin River State Trail, Yadkin Riverkeeper organized several multi-day paddles and camping options for our Yakin’ on the Yadkin paddle series to celebrate 2023 being named the “Year of the Trail.” Unfortunately, the weather had other plans for two of our overnight trips, but YRK staff and members learned a lot about the water quality challenges facing the River and its tributaries (see “The Journey of the Sediment” article), as well as the need to improve access to and safety on the River.

What follows are photos that illustrate the potential for improvements to the Yadkin River State Trail, including the possible designation of the River as it flows through Happy Valley between Patterson, NC and the Kerr Scott Reservoir above Wilkesboro as part of the YRST.

During Yadkin Riverkeeper’s recent Yakin’ on the Yadkin’ paddle tour and flyover of the Yadkin Pee Dee Lakes, we encountered different River conditions throughout the basin, but none more striking than the flow of sediment tracked from the upper basin to High Rock Lake over the course of seven days. See below for a photo essay that chronicles “The Journey of the Sediment.”

The NCDEQ Division of Water Resources approved the final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit on June 14 to allow the Colonial Pipeline Company to pump, treat and discharge treated wastewater from its cleanup of the more than 2 million gallon gasoline pipeline spill that contaminated groundwater in August of 2020. NCDEQ also fined Colonial $4.75 million in 2022 as part of a legal settlement in response to the spill and site remediation overseen by the NCDEQ Division of Waste Management.

There have been a myriad of bad bills moving through the NC General Assembly this month. Please see updates below on the status of those bills and actions you can take.

Our StoryMap is live! After much anticipation and preparation, Yadkin Riverkeeper’s interactive environmental justice site is now accessible to the public.

My name is Amir Bird, and I am eager to work with the Yadkin Riverkeeper team for the summer as a VISTA AmeriCorps Summer Associate! I am super excited to spend this summer learning and serving the Winston-Salem community, and beyond.

The NC Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public meeting on the development of new regulations to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution going into High Rock Lake. The meeting will be held on May 31 from 2-5 PM at the Salisbury Civic Center, 315 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. S, Salisbury, NC 28144. The meeting will include presentations by officials from the NC Division of Water Resources and members of the High Rock Lake Stakeholders Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Groups or “TAGs.” Yadkin Riverkeeper is a member of the Stakeholders Steering Committee and is represented on the Agriculture, Stormwater and Buffer TAGs.

As Yadkin Riverkeeper employees, we were awarded a Fellowship from the Spatial Justice Studio to study environmental justice in the Yadkin River basin. The Spatial Justice Studio is a collaborative effort between WSSU and UNCSA. The Fellows Program gives funding and support to community members, faculty, and students that work to address spatial injustice through an interdisciplinary lens. Things such as urban planning, environmental regulations, and government boundaries shape the way that people are dispersed across a landscape. These same factors determine the distribution of social services and environmental protections.

Yadkin Riverkeeper continues to be the voice for the River on numerous issues. See below for an update on our top advocacy priorities:

January 31, 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of a fire that could have resulted in one of the worst explosions in U.S. history according to Winston-Salem fire chief, Trey Mayo. The origin of the fire at Winston Weaver Co.’s fertilizer manufacturing plant in Northern Winston Salem remains unknown. When it was discovered that around 600 tons of ammonium nitrate were being stored at the plant, a voluntary evacuation of the 1-mile area surrounding the plant was issued. 

At YRK’s Annual Meeting last month, seven new board members were voted onto the Board of Directors. You can learn more about them below.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) will hold a public hearing on March 16 on a draft Colonial Pipeline wastewater permit (#NC009000). Colonial has applied for the permit to discharge treated wastewater from its 2 million gallon gasoline pipeline leak. The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Wastewater Discharge permit requested by Colonial will allow the discharge of pumped and treated groundwater contaminated by the spill into North Prong Clark Creek in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin. 

Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) hosted a community hearing on Wednesday, November 16th at the Atrium Health Education and Events Center in Albemarle. YRK held the hearing to inform the public about the upcoming renewal of Alco-Badin Business Park’s NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems) permit and to share our recommendations for reducing the amount of industrial pollution flowing into Badin Lake and Little Mountain Creek. For more information about the stormwater discharge permit, see our recommendations here.

As part of Waterkeepers Carolina, Yadkin Riverkeeper monitors swimming sites for e.coli during the summer season. This program is part of SwimGuide, an international platform sharing the results of bacteria monitoring at local swimming areas. This past summer YRK sampled 9 areas throughout the watershed and had a 72% pass rate overall. The sampling season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Yadkin Riverkeeper continues to be the leading advocacy voice on issues impacting water quality in the River, its lakes and tributaries. Please see below for an update on YRK’s most pressing advocacy priorities:

On Saturday, September 17th, Warren County residents and supporters came together to remember the legendary protest that took place 40 years ago in 1982. The Warren County Environmental Action Team and the Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church created this event to commemorate the protest for birthing the environmental justice movement.