Broad Riverkeeper
Keep the Broad River Basin Clean
You can help the Broad River Alliance keep the Green, the Second Broad, and the First Broad rivers clean by volunteering with a clean up day or another river event. If you are interested in volunteering, contact David Caldwell at david@mountaintrue.org
Interested in Exploring the Broad River?
Our Broad Riverkeeper is always willing to take folks out on the Broad and First Broad Rivers for half or full day paddles. A limited number of boats can be provided and no experience is necessary. If you’re interested in scheduling a paddle, email David Caldwell at david@mountaintrue.org.
David Caldwell
Broad Riverkeeper
David Caldwell is the Broad Riverkeeper. David moved into the Broad River watershed in 1987, after receiving an Engineering degree from Clemson University, and worked in manufacturing for several years in Shelby, NC. He has been fishing, paddling, and exploring the Broad River waterways for 27 years now.
Broad River Alliance News
What do Healthy Mountain Rivers Mean to You?
Protecting our mountain waters wouldn't be possible without the help of members, volunteers, and supporters like you.With your help, we will maintain E. coli sampling at 85 popular swimming areas this summer. Samples will be taken, processed, analyzed, and published...
2021 State of the River Reports
The 2021 State of the River reports are finally here! In this blog, we’ll discuss the cleanliness and water quality of the French Broad, Broad and Green, and Watauga River watersheds, trends, methodology, and rank the cleanest and dirtiest sites for each watershed.
Swim Guide Watershed Report: Upper French Broad, Green & Broad River Watersheds
We continue our review of data from the 2021 Swim Guide season with a look at the water quality of the Upper French Broad, Green, and Broad watersheds. We’ll let you know which areas were the cleanest, where we saw ongoing bacteria pollution problems, and actions you can take to fight for clean waters.
Join Us for an Annual Member Gathering in Your Area!
We are excited to be gathering in person this year to connect with you, our members, to celebrate our award winners and see each others’ smiling faces!
In light of the current rate of COVID infections and the situation in hospitals across our region, we have chosen to host multiple, smaller, outdoor events in place of one large gathering. We are also requiring that all attendees be fully vaccinated in order to participate. If you are not vaccinated, you will have an opportunity to vote for new and returning board members online.
July 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter
In our July E-News we celebrate our Bio-Blitz winners, welcome Sarah Ogletree as the new director of the Creation Care Alliance, expose the impacts of clear-cutting at Bottomley Farms, and more.
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.
March 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter
Rethinking the Smart Growth principles, updates on Duke’s long-term energy plan, upcoming cleanups and hikes and more!
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.
This Holiday Season, Buy Locally From Sustainable Farmers
As we approach the holiday season, it’s a good time to think about where that turkey, pork, or beef comes from that will round out our family meals. In this post, Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell discusses how farming practices have changed over time and how we can be more conscientious about where we buy this year’s holiday feast.
Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell Identifies Harmful Algal Bloom in Moss Lake
While sampling at Moss Lake this summer, Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell noticed that the water was very green and cloudy. He conducted additional tests that showed high dissolved oxygen and pH readings, both of which are indicators of an algal bloom.