Hello Fellow River Lovers,

As I write this, it’s been a busy day at Savannah Riverkeeper wrapping up the year and preparing for the next. But 12 years on this job have taught me that busy days are normal days when you’re trying to save one of the largest and most important rivers in the Southeast. Every day, governments, communities, businesses, and individuals make decisions that impact your waterways. That means we must constantly defend and push for the best outcomes for the river and the 1.4 million who drink out of it daily. But nothing worth fighting for comes easy, and this year has been no exception. 

All of our efforts stand on the pillars of protection, restoration, and education, and protection is first for a reason. Advocacy is at the heart of our work. It’s the most important thing that we do and what I’m most passionate about. Fighting for the protection of the entire Savannah, and those relying on her, must always be our primary goal. I’d like to share a bit about a few of those efforts this last year.

Our Clean Water Act case with the Southern Environmental Law Center against pipeline giant Kinder Morgan has garnered national attention by moving all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawsuit aims to hold the company accountable for the cleanup of its 2014 oil spill in Belton, South Carolina. They allege that the spill was not a “direct discharge” into the creek, but instead went into the groundwater. We know that 300,000 gallons of gasoline continues to leak into the waterways, and must be cleaned up appropriately. As Waterkeepers pledge to do, we will persist until these polluters are held accountable for the damages to our natural resources and taxpayers. 

Protecting the river also means taking on issues that are controversial, as with Augusta’s Lock and Dam. This year Savannah Riverkeeper has weathered constant attacks on our reputation for involvement in the complicated dam removal, as well as well-funded misinformation campaigns led by special interests. But good advocates stand for what’s right, not what’s easy. We are resolute in ensuring the project improves the outlook for endangered sturgeon, makes the most of the impending changes by creating opportunities for the future, and ultimately satisfies the community that uses this river. 

In Ridgeland, SC, an illegal landfill marketed as a recycling facility caught fire and burned for six months, spewing alarming concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, selenium, and and other toxins and carcinogens into the air and ditches flowing to the nearby Okatie River. We worked closely with SC DHEC and local officials to assess the extent of the ongoing disaster, and identify ways to slow the contaminants’ flow off-site. This coming legislative session, we will pursue the regulatory changes needed to ensure this type of offense is never allowed to happen again. 

The second cornerstone of our organization, restoration, is the act of fixing what is impaired, whether small or large-scale. In 2019 more than 650 Savannah Riverkeeper volunteers have kept 25 tons of trash out of our communities and waterways through cleanups and service events throughout the watershed. Savannah Riverkeeper works with local leaders like the Marshal’s Office, stormwater and utilities departments, neighborhoods, universities, and local businesses to amplify our impact. Efforts like these are a crucial part of our mission. Getting people outside and engaging with their waterways is a gateway to lifelong conservation. It doesn’t just improve the river, it  strengthens our communities. 

Two of Savannah Riverkeeper's long-term projects will significantly restore and protect the Savannah River. Efforts are underway to restore the Savannah River’s natural flow between Augusta and Savannah. As the non-federal sponsor of the project, Savannah Riverkeeper is laying the groundwork for one of the largest river restorations in U.S. history. We are working to ensure that $12.5 million in dedicated restoration funds from the Savannah Harbor settlement are leveraged to make a lasting positive impact on the watershed. And thanks to a seed grant from Georgia EPD, we are working to build a publicly accessible website for water quality data collected in the Savannah and Ogeechee River basins. Savannah Riverkeeper is leading these collaborative efforts with government from both states, and other conservation partners.

Now in its second year, our  Veterans for Clean Water program has built a dependable base of regularly engaged volunteers and added an in-house laboratory for water samples. VFCW volunteers, mostly in kayaks, collect, process, and communicate water quality results from 17 popular sites around the watershed to let users know when bacteria levels are a threat. They test the water throughout the summer and prior to large swim events like IronMan and Gatorfest. VFCW also maintains trash traps at 3 different locations, and carries out scrap tire pickups, and takes on restoration projects beyond the scope of the average volunteer. With growing partnerships within and beyond the environmental community, this program is changing veterans' lives and improving the Savannah River. Program coordinator Truck Carlson was honored to be a speaker at TEDx Savannah, and recently won the Georgia Water Coalition’s prestigious Clean 13 Award for his efforts. These achievements in such a short period of time give me great hope for an even stronger program in 2020.

Education includes spreading the good word of conservation throughout our communities. The Savannah Riverkeeper staff is dedicated to that in so many ways. We’ve appeared at speeches, schools, civic clubs, and community events. Our social media reached 1.75 million people this year. Our staff has been tapped by local and national media over 200 times for interviews, appearances, and stories (including the cover of Savannah Magazine's Life on the Water issue)!

In the lower river area, Outreach Coordinator Dave Mewborn has engaged 250 new volunteers for cleanups and on-the-water outings. We hosted two sold-out Roast on the River events in Savannah and Augusta. For our second annual One River membership drive, we took a team approach to fundraising, and with your help, raised nearly $10,000 and 100 new members for the organization. 

Lastly, but of course not least, this year I had the absolute honor of marrying my best friend on the banks of the Sun Koshi River in Nepal in the presence of several friends, family members, and a dozen fellow Waterkeepers. While we were abroad, we participated in river cleanup service projects, a rally against egregious pollution and injustice by a coal plant, and provided training and support to Waterkeepers in Bangladesh. As a longtime council member, and recently elected Waterkeeper Alliance Board of Directors member, I am  grateful to get to fight for clean water alongside some of the most selfless and courageous advocates in the world and to serve those who need it most.

But my wish for the holidays, or a wedding gift if you will, is for you to continue supporting Savannah Riverkeeper in the coming year. Join or renew your membership, make a donation, come to an event, or tell a friend, coworker, or family member about our work. Click here to support us.

Reach out if you’re interested in volunteering for a cleanup, event committee, water quality monitoring with Adopt-A-Stream or VFCW, or a hands-on project to serve the watershed. Don’t hesitate to report suspected pollution by calling our office at 706-826-8991 or toll-free at 844-263-1415. It’s easy, and it can make a huge difference. And as always, thank you for being a friend of the river.

Your Savannah Riverkeeper,
Tonya Bonitatibus

P.S. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @savriverkeeper. If you have feedback to share, send us a message. If you're on the water boating, fishing, paddling, swimming, sailing, or whatever it is you do, post a photo and tag #saveoursavannah. I love to see all the ways you enjoy the water and the unique, diverse communities on every part of the Savannah River!

P.P.S. Join us at our Roast on the River in Savannah January 18, and in Augusta March 21, for oysters, lowcountry boil, local craft beer, and more fun! Tickets are on sale now at savannahriverkeeper.org and they support our mission of protecting, restoring, and educating the river basin.

On December 4, 2019, the Georgia Public Service Commission will vote on whether or not Georgia Power can raise their fixed monthly fee and user rates. 

In the next 3 years, Georgia Power wants to increase its monthly fixed rate from $10/month in 2019 to $17.95/month by 2022 and increase usage rates cents/kWh (cents per kilowatt-hour) 6.7 cents currently to 7.5 cents by 2022. Georgia Power can request rate increases every three years. In Georgia, elderly and marginalized citizens in low-income communities, and communities of color often bear the heaviest burden of energy costs, losing up to three times more of their income to energy bills than higher-income households. 

Savannah Riverkeeper believes in access to affordable, clean energy for everyone. Georgia Power’s proposed rate increases raise several questions: What will happen to fossil fuel facilities like Plant McIntosh in Rincon, GA? When will it be closed completely, and what care will be given to the overseeing of this plant’s closure, ethically and environmentally? Who is paying for the cleanups and disposal of the coal ash from plants in Georgia, and will it be stored safely in lined facilities where it is unlikely to pose a risk to people and waterways? 

About a hundred citizens attended the Coastal Listening Session in Savannah on October 16, it was evident that the people of Savannah-Chatham County see no good reason for the price hike. They question how sincere Georgia Power is in promises to move away from fossil fuels, and how much research and resources are being put towards greener, cleaner forms of energy. Concerned about the dangers of nuclear power, many citizens hope for a near future in which alternatives like wind and solar become our primary sources of energy. Both commissioners in attendance from District 2 (Tim Echols) and District 5 (Tricia Pridemore) were eager to point out available programs to assist qualified customers, like seniors with fixed income and lower-income households, in lowering and helping to pay their energy bills. 

Written public comments are not being accepted, but you can choose to speak at a hearing. Two important PSC public hearings where you can voice your opinion on this matter are set for November 4 and November 25 at 8:00 am at 244 Washington St. SW, Atlanta, GA.    

If you cannot make it to Atlanta on those days, you can contact your representatives at the Public Service Commission with questions, concerns, and comments. If you email them, make sure to include “For Official Use: Georgia Power Rate Increase” in the subject. Representative from District 2 Tim Echols assures us that these will be read and addressed at the public hearings. PSC votes on this issue on December 4, 2019. 

Contact:
District 1 Jason Shaw jshaw@psc.state.ga.us 404-463-6745
District 2 Tim Echols techols@psc.state.ga.us 404-463-0214
District 3 Chuck Eaton ceaton@psc.stae.ga.us 404-657-2020
District 4 Bubba McDonald Lmcdonald@psc.state.ga.us 404-463-4260
District 5 Tricia Pridemore tpridemore@psc.state.ga.us 404-657-4574 

For more info and to sign up to speak at a public meeting, visit our friends at www.fighthehike.org or sign the Harambee House petition by clicking here.  ​

The Corps has announced a decision on the New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam, with Alternative 2-6d, a set of river-width weirs followed by the removal of the deteriorating lock and dam. Click the link below for the news release; the full report is being uploaded.

While the final report names this as the selected alternative, it also enables conditions necessary for modification to increase the weir height to allow for higher water, which can be introduced either now or in the future following completion of construction.

Changing to a higher weir alternative before construction requires Georgia and South Carolina to work in concert with the project’s non-federal sponsor to form a locally preferred plan (LPP). The LPP must be requested by the non-federal sponsor. Changing to a higher weir alternative after construction would require an agreement between a non-federal entity, the non-federal sponsors, and the Corps to pursue the modification.

We call for all sides to come to the table to discuss the future of this project and what compromise can be reached for the best outcome for the river and our communities.

The entire final report, including all the public comments along with Corps responses, can be found online at https://go.usa.gov/xVWxq. A public meeting will be held on Wed. November 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Boathouse Community Center, 101 Riverfront Drive, Augusta, Georgia, where the public can hear details about the decision.

The fish passage project is an environmental mitigation feature of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, (SHEP) and is required mitigation in accordance with the Endangered Species Act and WRDA 2016. In accordance with the SHEP Biological Opinion, construction on the fish passage must begin before January 2021. 

​For more on the fish passage and the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, read the Corps’ past blog posts here. For a history of the Lock and Dam, visit the webpage here.

As published in the Angler Magazine September 2019

Save the Sturgeon this September 
Savannah Riverkeeper says: September is Sturgeon Awareness Month!

SRK is running an education campaign to teach people about the unique, endangered fish that is found—or supposed to be—right here in the Savannah River. Two species, the Atlantic and the Shortnose Sturgeon, are historically found in the area and are listed as federally endangered. Sturgeon travel from the ocean and coastal channels where they live out most of their days  to the river shoals where they come to spawn each year. Long-threatened and depleted by habitat loss and overfishing, efforts are now bringing this prehistoric fish back to its natural home.

Efforts in place to preserve and restore these fish, primarily through NOAA Fisheries (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) include designation, then protection, of critical habitat; take limits for permitted projects; and other regulation on fishing. Meanwhile, conservation groups advocate for local projects to restore water flows through dam removals, fish passages, and more. It’s hopeful that the species will rebound, but they are still very imperiled and face an “upstream” battle. 

Conservation groups and biologists agree, however, that efforts to save sturgeon will also have positive effects on other species that historically rely on a similar spawning path. Anadromous fish (which means they move from river to sea) like shad and striped bass or striper likewise benefit from efforts to conserve habitat and restore free-flowing waterways. “Our guiding goals as Waterkeeper organizations are to work for drinkable, swimmable, and fishable waters,” said Savannah Riverkeeper Tonya Bonitatibus. “We want people to understand that healthy fisheries are home to strong populations of species. When managed sustainably, they are capable of supporting communities and economy in a way that the whole system thrives.”

Know the Law Before You Fish
Both Atlantic and Shortnose Sturgeon are protected by the Endangered Species Act, which means it is illegal to fish for, catch, or keep sturgeon or their parts. If you happen to catch a specimen which is responsive and lively, remove the hook or cut the line and return the fish to the water immediately. If possible, try to keep it submerged and the belly supported. 

Did you know you can save a sturgeon’s life with just a water hose? If the fish is trapped in fishing line, net, or other impediment and looks lethargic or unresponsive, you should try to help it. Oftentimes, it is possible to resuscitate these fish by flushing water over the gills. Position a hose through the mouth and slightly to the side, not down the throat. Let the water run gently but steadily out and over the gills, as if the fish were swimming forward, until recovery is obvious. 

Report a Stranded, Injured, or Dead Sturgeon
If you find a stranded, injured, or dead sturgeon, please report it to NOAA Fisheries at (978) 281-9328 or in the Southeast at (844) STURG-911 or (844) 788-7491, or send an email to NOAA.Sturg911@noaa.gov. 

Savannah Riverkeeper will be conducting educational outreach all month with participating partners. To request an educational presentation for your classroom or club, for curriculum you can use to teach students about sturgeon, reach out to elena@savannahriverkeeper.org.
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To support Savannah Riverkeeper’s outreach efforts, you can buy a Save the Sturgeon t-shirt! A collaboration with Blackmon Outfitters. Click here to shop!