July 2007
Dear Friend of North Carolina’s Waterways,
The Neuse River Foundation (NRF), sponsor of the Upper and Lower Neuse Riverkeeper® programs, is a non-profit environmental organization whose mission is to protect, restore and preserve the Neuse River Basin through education, advocacy and enforcement, in order to provide clean water for drinking, recreation and enjoyment to the communities that it serves. Our vision is a healthy Neuse River where citizens and governments are responsible for sustaining this valuable resource. We are determined to halt present abuses, to help remedy past ones, and to ensure future protection of the river. NRF’s Riverkeepers routinely work with citizens to review permits to enforce compliance with environmental laws and advocate for improvements in water quality throughout the entire 6200 square mile watershed.
One of our primary program initiatives is to strategically tackle the Neuse River’s (and the state’s) most serious water pollution problem—polluted stormwater from land disturbance activities (i.e. construction). To do so, we have invested significant time and money to focus on erosion and sediment control education, training, research and enforcement. Tackling this issue has been one of the highest priorities for our organization. To that end, we are pleased to present you with our most recent initiative: Muddy Water Watch Citizen Patrols - The North Carolina Construction Stormwater Project.
NRF, Conservation Council for NC and the Southern Environmental Law Center are partnering with other NC Riverkeeper and watershed groups in order to educate and train interested citizens about this important issue. According to EPA Region IV and the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR), they receive more citizen complaints about sediment pollution than any other environmental concern. In fact, polluted stormwater runoff is the major cause of impaired water quality in NC. Many of our streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries are severely impacted by sediment during the construction phase as well as from post construction stormwater runoff once build out has occurred. Unfortunately, most sedimentation problems are typically the result of inadequate erosion and sedimentation controls on construction sites. We can certainly do better.
NRF is pleased to present you with a copy of our Muddy Water Watch Project Manual and Workbook for citizens. This publication was developed as a result of concerned citizens, such as yourself, who needed information on ways to protect NC’s waterways from eroded soil and sedimentation resulting from uncontrolled construction in the watershed. This Manual and Workbook will inform you about our erosion and sediment control laws and teach you how to get the dirt out of your waterways and reclaim our public trust waters.
This project is being organized and managed under the direction of Dean Naujoks, Upper Neuse Riverkeeper with the Neuse River Foundation. Legal coordination for this project is provided by Amy Pickle, Southern Environmental Law Center’s General Counsel. |
