It's time to Hold the Line
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An old saying goes that the solution to pollution is dilution. It’s equal parts truth, warning, and, right now, a flashing red light.
That’s because drought changes everything.
The Savannah River is running low. Creeks are stalling into shallow pools, wetlands are drying at the edges, and rainfall deficits have left the Basin stressed in ways that can’t be fixed by a passing thunderstorm. In some places water levels are lower than they have been in more than 130 years.
And as those water levels drop, pollution concentrates.
The things we normally measure in parts-per-million are becoming more potent. Runoff is hitting harder and wastewater has less room to disperse. Algae blooms are becoming more prevalent and, as a result, fish and wildlife face increased pressure.
The Savannah River Basin is more than a water source. It is recreation, history, economy, habitat, memory, and identity stretched across two states and hundreds of communities. When drought tightens its grip, every mile of river feels it.
This is the moment to Hold the Line.
That’s why Savannah Riverkeeper is launching a capital campaign focused on a simple truth: if the river is under greater stress, vigilance must increase.
Our immediate needs include expanding our water quality monitoring network across the Basin, investing in new equipment and rapid-response testing capabilities, and strengthening our ability to identify pollution threats during one of the driest periods our watershed has experienced in generations.
This isn’t something that needs to happen after the fish kill or contamination advisories. This is not something that can happen after the river reaches crisis stage.
It must happen now.
Clean water does not protect itself. The river deserves advocates willing to meet this moment with urgency, science, and action.
Please, help us help the river through a donation, membership, or volunteerism.
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