Our Rivers Need You
North Carolina’s rivers teem with life and provide important habitats for native forest animals, fish, bugs, and all kinds of other critters. They’re where we paddle and play with our friends and families.
Unfortunately, our rivers are threatened, and many fail to meet basic water quality standards — especially after heavy rainstorms.
With your help we can protect our waterways. Together, we can change the way our local governments and regulatory agencies operate, get more funding to help solve the problems, and win the support of elected officials in Western North Carolina and Raleigh. But to win, we need you.
Featured Action
TAKE ACTION TO FIGHT E. COLI POLLUTION IN OUR RIVERS
DNA testing conducted by the French Broad Riverkeeper of the French Broad River, one of our region’s most polluted waterways, has confirmed that cattle followed by faulty or inadequate sewer, septic or water treatment infrastructure are the major sources of E. coli pollution. We’ve done the DNA testing. We know the sources. Now we have the solutions to clean up our rivers.
Stand up for science-based policies to help farmers fence cattle out of streams and property owners fix their septic systems and major investments in water infrastructure.
Our Three-Step Plan To Clean Up Our Rivers
Learn more and take action.
Learn more and take action.
Learn more and take action.
More Clean Water Actions & Updates
Take Action Against Single-Use Plastic Pollution in Asheville and Buncombe County
Plastic pollution: we've all seen it littered on the side of the road, blowing in the wind, floating down rivers and streams. Plastic pollution is a global problem, but we all have to be part of the solution. Together, we can stop plastic pollution at its...
Take Action Against Single-Use Plastic Pollution in Boone
Plastic pollution: we've all seen it littered on the side of the road, blowing in the wind, floating down rivers and streams. Plastic pollution is a global problem, but we all have to be part of the solution. Together, we can stop plastic pollution at its...
MountainTrue FAQ: SMIE Volunteering
Let's chat bugs! Last December on the MountainTrue blog, we considered What's Bugging Our Rivers. Today, we'll take a deeper dive into our participation in the Stream Monitoring Information Exchange (SMIE) program and our partnership with the Environmental Quality...
Plastic-Free WNC
Plastic pollution: we've all seen it littered on the side of the road, blowing in the wind, floating down rivers and streams. Plastic pollution is a global problem, but we all have to be part of the solution. Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill on plastic pollution:...
Tell FERC to Protect Mountain Rivers
On October 4, 2021, the Oconaluftee River below Ela Dam — once a high quality mountain river — was completely filled with sediment during a reservoir drawdown for a repair by the dam's owner, Northbrook Carolina Hydro II, LLC. Tell FERC to protect rivers in the...
One Million Gallons of Sewage Overflowed into Western North Carolina Waterways during Six Month Period
More than one million gallons of sewage overflowed from inadequate wastewater infrastructure into the French Broad River and other area waterways in Western North Carolina according to state data acquired and analyzed by MountainTrue. The data was collected from August 3, 2020 until March 4, 2021 by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Asheville Regional office and is the best available estimate of the amount of sewage that overflows from wastewater infrastructures such as pipes and manhole covers into area rivers and streams across 19 counties of western North Carolina.
DNA Testing Indicates Animal Agriculture and Sewer Infrastructure are Major Pollution Sources for French Broad River
Some of it comes from cows, some from humans and dogs. But it’s all poop and it doesn’t belong in our rivers. Find out how MountainTrue and the French Broad Riverkeeper used DNA to determine the sources of E. coli pollution to the French Broad River.
The Not-So-Micro Issue of Microplastics
In our most recent blog post, our High Country Water Quality Administrator Hannah Woodburn explains that while personal change is important, our consumer choices alone are not enough to fix the plastics pollution crisis. Check out Hannah’s post to learn more about the history of plastic pollution, ongoing legislation to combat the issue and our sampling program to identify microplastics in WNC’s waters.
DEQ: It’s Time to Modernize NC’s Pollution Spill Notification System
Millions of people across North Carolina take to our beaches, rivers and lakes to cool off, swim, paddle, and fish, but most are unaware that nearly 16 million gallons of untreated sewage spilled into our waterways during a two and a half month period this summer. North Carolina desperately needs to update its public spill notification system. Act now.
Protect Our Rivers By Supporting Sustainable Farms
We have compiled a map of farms in our region that feed us while using practices that support healthy rivers, lakes and streams. Check out the map to find sustainable farms in your local watershed, and sign the pledge to support sustainable farms here.
