Is it safe to swim?
Dear Friends,
I hope you and your family are healthy and adjusting to our new way of life for the time being. All of us here at Charleston Waterkeeper are healthy and doing just fine. Like everyone else, we’re physically separated but we are not socially distant!
The fight for clean water continues and you can always find the latest on: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
These are difficult and uncertain times for all of us, including Charleston Waterkeeper. But, I am optimistic and I am hopeful because we know how to get through this together–by being apart.
Why? I see it every day in the fight for clean water: the dirty and muddy feet at cleanups, the tired shoulders shoveling oyster shells, volunteers testing water quality, locals showing up at city council meetings to speak up, our sticker and t-shirts all around, and all the emails, letters, and calls to your elected leaders to stand up for clean water.
You get it: a lot of individual actions add up to big collective action for clean water. That’s exactly what this moment demands from each of us—individual action. That’s why I know we can get through this together by being apart.
It’s also why the fight for clean water cannot and will not stop. Just last week we filed two federal lawsuits against Frontier Logistics for polluting your harbor and beaches with plastic pellets called nurdles.
You can read about it in the Post and Courier here: postandcourier.com/news/sc-plastic-pellet-mover-faces-federal-lawsuit-over-charleston-area
Frontier had 6 months to clean up its act. It didn’t, so we took action. Polluting your harbor and beaches is not right under any circumstances.
The water ahead is rough and it won’t be easy going. So much of our work is about bringing people together. None of that is possible for the foreseeable future. All of our volunteer events are on hold, fundraising events are canceled, and we cannot be out in the community.
We depend on that money to stay afloat and run the bacteria testing program you rely on to know when and where it’s safe to swim. That program is set to launch in May and we need your help to make sure it can happen on time.
If you’re able, please make a gift today to protect your health and the health of your family: CharlestonWaterkeeper.org/give
The fight for clean water continues! We are here, we are active, and we are fully engaged. We’ll get through this. And soon we will all be together getting muddy and dirty for clean water.
Be healthy, friends. Your rivers, creeks, and harbor need you.
Sincerely,
Andrew J. Wunderley
Your Charleston Waterkeeper
