OUR MISSION
PRKN’s mission is to protect the right to clean water for all communities and all those who live in and rely upon the Potomac and Shenandoah watersheds by stopping pollution, making drinking water safe, protecting healthy river habitats, and enhancing use and enjoyment for all.
OUR APPROACH
- Other environmental organizations do clean ups – WE DO TOO.
- Other environmental organizations lobby lawmakers and regulators – WE DO TOO.
- Other environmental organizations hold public events celebrating successes or calling the public to action – WE DO TOO.
So, What Makes Us Different?
We are alone in this region in actively suing polluters to redress the harm they cause. That is first and foremost how we are different. Supporting that willingness to enforce the laws we have available is also a key difference – namely, that we investigate and assess on the basis of science and evidence. And in this day of advancing technology, we are the only group to use drone technology to gather evidence, in addition to the sampling and testing of water at your near point sources of pollution.
THE CLEAN WATER ACT
The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. It is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with state governments.
A key provision of the CWA that is at the core our work is the “citizen suit provision” that states that any citizen may file a lawsuit against any polluter who has allegedly violated the CWA. A membership organization, PRKN can file a lawsuit on the behalf of its members.
The Clean Water Act outlines how to protect rivers and other water bodies and focuses on three basic uses: swimming, fishing and drinking. These basic uses of our rivers are termed “Designated Uses” under the CWA and each use requires very different protections. Each Designated Use category has very specific water quality criteria that must be met to maintain that use. These criteria are then used to determine pollution limits for all facilities permitted to discharge waste. The CWA also established anti-degradation rules, which are a way to keep new or growing sources of pollution from spoiling a pristine steam.
The CWA introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which is a permit system for regulating point sources of pollution – or pollution that comes out of a pipe. Congress exempted some water pollution sources from the point source definition, and are considered to be nonpoint sources. Agricultural stormwater discharges and irrigation return flows were specifically exempted from permit requirements.
THE WATERKEEPER MOVEMENT
Potomac RIVERKEEPER® Network and its three Riverkeepers are members of WATERKEEPER® Alliance, the world’s fastest-growing environmental movement, uniting more than 300 Waterkeeper organizations and affiliates around the world and focusing citizen action on issues that affect our waterways, from pollution to climate change. These Waterkeeper organizations are on the frontline of the global water crisis patrolling and protecting more than 1.5 million square miles of waterways on six continents.
Where waters and communities are protected by active Waterkeeper programs, Waterkeepers Alliance makes sure they never have to stand alone. Where waters lack protection, Waterkeepers advocate on their behalf, and for all communities whose right to healthy water is threatened.
Visit Waterkeeper.org for more information.
Potomac Riverkeeper Network and its three Riverkeepers are also members of WATERKEEPERS® Chesapeake, a coalition of nineteen independent programs working to make the waters of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays swimmable and fishable. Waterkeepers Chesapeake amplifies the voices of each Waterkeeper and mobilizes these organizations to fight pollution and champion clean water. The members of Waterkeepers Chesapeake work locally, using grassroots action and advocacy to protect their communities and their waters. They work regionally to share resources and leverage individual organization strengths to expand each Waterkeeper’s capacity for on the water, citizen-based enforcement of environmental laws in the Chesapeake region.
Visit WaterkeepersChesapeake.org for more information.
