TAKE ACTION
Riverkeepers cannot protect and defend our waterways alone. There are several ways you can take action to support your Riverkeeper right now.
We rely on members like YOU to contact your representatives about clean water issues, and report pollution when you see it affecting our rivers.
We are frequently at the forefront of advocating for stricter clean water laws and regulations. Many of these laws do not get passed without public pressure, and you can make a difference when you sign up for our Action Alerts. We will notify you when an urgent need to contact your representatives arises in your area, and give you the tools to let your voice be heard.
As a Waterkeeper organization, we maintain a Pollution Report Hotline so that it is easy to let us know quickly when and where a new pollution issue arises.
Our Riverkeepers frequently investigate pollution issues based on public tips they receive, and with strong connections to local authorities, we bring these issues to the attention of those who have the power to stop and clean up river pollution quickly.
To report pollution in your area, leave a tip on one of the Pollution Report Hotlines below, and be sure to provide details about the date and time of your observation, location description including latitude/longitude if available, and any photos or narrative descriptions of the nature of the pollution you observed.
Shenandoah (571) 969-0746
Upper Potomac (443) 480-8970
Potomac (336) 809-6041
making a difference
Here are a few examples of how our volunteers have made a difference in reporting and stopping pollution:
In Bethesda, Maryland, a volunteer tipped us off of a serious fecal contamination in Willet Branch stream. Through diligent investigation and collaboration with community-based partners, we were able to successfully identify the source of the contamination as a Hyatt hotel in Bethesda. They agreed to hire plumbers to correct a faulty plumbing issue that was incorrectly connecting guest rooms with the storm drain system.
An SRK member notified Shenandoah Riverkeeper, Mark Frondorf, to a potential erosion and sediment control issue concerning Coyner Spring Run, where runoff from a construction project in heavy rain threatened the Run. Mark contacted the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) employee in charge of oversight of the project about the danger and need for immediate action, and VDOT got in touch with the contractor that day, who remediated the situation with additional sediment control.
