Congaree Riverkeeper
2025 in Review
Is it the end of the year already? It feels like we were just admiring the sight of snow along river in January. 2025 was another busy year, both on the water and off. We took on some new issues, continued our advocacy on several ongoing ones, engaged with citizens and decision makers, and worked day in and day out to protect our rivers. Take a look at some of the highlights and accomplishments from the last year:
With the help of 210 volunteers we removed more than 7,500 pounds of trash from local rivers and streams through our volunteer cleanups (see the full 2025 Cleanup Summary here).
We responded to more than 50 pollution reports, investigating and responding to issues including sewer spills, illegal dumping, and construction runoff.
We continued to lead local water quality monitoring efforts, including the Midlands Rivers Coalition.
We continued our work to clean up dangerous PFAS "forever chemical" pollution, including our ongoing lawsuit against a carpet manufacturer on the Saluda, tracking other industrial sources, and advocating for stronger PFAS policy and regulations.
We continued to participate in South Carolina's water planning efforts, including serving on the WaterSC stakeholder working group and helping develop the newly updated State Water Plan.
We submitted comments and provided testimony on permits, policies, and proposed legislation at the local, state, and federal level. This included actions like opposing federal environmental rollbacks, advocating for wastewater outfall signage at the State House, and participating in local planning efforts.
And we engaged with thousands in the community through our outreach and education efforts.