WATERKEEPER

e u iss , E UM VOL PAPER PCW 2017 2 13 100% WATERKEEPER CLEAN WATER • THEWATER PLANET’SFIRSTRESPONDERS • CITIZENACTION Volume 13,issu2 $5.95 Saving Nepal’s

last wild river ® “As akid,Iwent campingmany summerswiththeBoys &GirlsClubto learnabouttrees, water Today, we supportWaterkeeper Alliance to protect nature andkeep ourwaterways cleanfor generations to come, becausewe care abouttheenvironment.” and wildlife…an experience Inever forgot (andwhy ourproducts have always beencrueltyfree).

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At one project located near the Long Island Sound, Ultra-Urban® catch basin filters performed extremely well treating contaminated runoff and also capturing 28 38 46 trash and debris. The average hydrocarbon contaminant removal rate was over 75 percent and the maximum removal rate was 99.9 percent. NEWS & UPDATES FEATURES COaSTAL ALABAMA ON THEIR MINDS While cleaning the 275 catch basin inserts, 6: RFK, Jr., on Unseating 28: calculations show they captured and removed Fossil Fuels’ Four Founded by persons of property, expanded by disaster, Mobile Baykeeper is an over 7.4 tons (the weight nearly NINE Horsemen improbable success story. Volkswagen Beetles) of contaminated trash, debris and sediment which normally would 32: Saving the Wild Karnali have deposited directly into the 12: Defending Florida’s In the shadow of a massive dam proposal, Nepal’s Waterkeepers take to the water Long Island Sound. Threatened Coral Reefs to save Nepal’s last wild river. Ultra-Urban® filters with Smart Sponge® 14: Louisiana’s 38: From Drought to Deluge are solving water quality issues around the world. Atchafalaya California’s Waterkeepers lead the effort to make water conservation a way of Basinkeeper ready life in that state. AbTech Industries has been in the clean for showdown in the water business for over 18 years developing cost-effective solutions to water pollution. Bayou 42: River Warrior A conversation with Hao Xin, China’s Qiantang River Waterkeeper. www.abtechindustries.com 20: After 16 years, EPA 46: End of the Line for Northwest 1.800.545.8999 Finally Unveils Plans Coal Trains for Willamette River Superfund Site Waterkeepers in the Pacific Northwest win the fight against coal export. 50: New Hampshire’s Great Bay 24: Curse of Plastic An estuary with big problems and new hopes. Ocean Waste Now Part of the Cure

4 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Letter from the PRESIDENT, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

why, according to the Federal Energy and every American will Regulatory Commission, in the first eventually benefit from the eleven months of 2016 renewable energy cornucopia of economic, political Natio n al A rchives a d R ecords dmi istratio , of the Bureau Pu b lic oads Horsemen supplied more than 50 percent of newly and health-giving bounties that will installed electrical-generation capacity— accompany a decarbonized nation. surpassing natural gas, nuclear power, There will be no more poisoned air of the coal and oil combined. and water, but instead clean rivers let’s face facts. The carbon and bountiful oceans, with fish that incumbents are looking at their own are safe to eat. No more exploded imminent apocalypse. And the real mountain ranges. No more crippling Apocalypse savings for solar and wind comes at the oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, or back end – zero fuel costs. Unlimited Alaska or Santa Barbara. We will Not long ago, the legendary economist Amory Lovins showed photons rain down on the earth every day for free. Transitioning no longer worry about acid rain me two photos, taken 10 years apart, of the New York City Easter to clean fuel only requires that we build the infrastructure to deforesting our purple mountains Parade. A 1903 shot looking north from midtown showed Fifth harvest and distribute the photons, and that infrastructure will majesty and sterilizing our blue Avenue crowded with a hundred horse-and-buggies and a solitary bless America with a magical promised era of free fuel forever. lakes. No more fretting about automobile. The second, taken in 1913 from a similar vantage the internal-combustion engine is racing toward the same acidified oceans destroying our coral on the same street, depicted a traffic-jam of automobiles and a kind of seismic disruption as the horse and buggy. According to reefs, and causing the collapse of single horse and buggy. calculations by John Walker of the Rocky Mountain Institute, the global food chains and fisheries. that momentous shift occurred because, over a 13-year current operating cost of an electric car is about one-tenth that of Ozone- and particulate-pollution period, Henry Ford had dropped the nominal price of the Model-T an internal-combustion engine. And the range and performance won’t sicken and kill millions of our by 62 percent. Wealthy New Yorkers led the transition, and the of EVs now exceed those of traditional gasoline-powered cars. citizens, damage crops and corrode remainder of America quickly followed. That’s why the world’s 15 top auto companies all launched new buildings. Tyrannical petro-states Between 1918 and 1929, according to Stanford University EV models in 2015. will no longer be able to subjugate lecturer Tony Seba, American car ownership rocketed from If you believe in free markets, then the day of the internal their peoples and victimize their

eight percent of Americans to 80 percent – because DuPont combustion engine is over. The markets have already seen the neighbors. And there will be an end T he L i b rary of C o n gress to oil wars. and General Motors had devised a financial innovation called future. The top 50 coal companies are now either in Chapter the two photos above, of the new york city easter parade, were taken 10 years apart. a 1903 “car loans,” which soon accounted for three quarters of auto 11 bankruptcy or on the brink of it. The largest three—Arch, while this portrait of the future shot looking north from midtown showed fifth avenue crowded with a hundred horse- purchases. The buggy manufacturers never saw it coming. CONSOL and Peabody—have lost 80 percent of their value over is enticing to most Americans and-buggies and a solitary automobile. the second, taken in 1913 from a similar vantage on the same street, depicted a traffic-jam of automobiles and a single horse and buggy. like the Compare that platform for disruption to marketing in today’s the last two years. Observing this landscape, Lovins remarked and consistent with the historical buggy makers of that earlier age, the carbon-based industries of today are looking at their solar industry. Over the past five years, photovoltaic-module to me, “The meteor has hit. The dinosaurs are doomed. It’s just idealism of an exemplary nation, it own imminent collapse. prices have dropped 80 percent, and analogous home-solar- that some of them are still walking around causing trouble.” is a fearful nightmare for a certain financing innovations have spread like wildfire. Three quarters amid these rich indices of imminent change, America, prior segment of our population, which of California’s rooftop solar installations – including the system to the 2016 election, was on the verge of leading the global is willing to sacrifice the planet and to mount all-out warto These are forces of ignorance and greed that are determined to liquidate atop my own home – have been innovatively financed, with no transformation away from destructive reliance on the filthy, prevent the realization of that new world. We are engaged, as the natural riches of our planet for cash. Russell makes no bones money down. NRG Solar leased me a rooftop array with zero cost poisonous, addictive, warmongering fuels from hell to a sunny Abraham Lincoln declared, “in a great civil war,” a successor about the fact that their moral compass is pointed straight at hell.L ike to myself and guaranteed a 60 percent drop in my energy bills for new age of innovation and entrepreneurship, of abundant and to the cataclysm of the 1860s that our country endured to end the Horsemen in the Book of Revelation, their actions are propelling 20 years. Who wouldn’t take that deal? dignified jobs, of a democratized energy system and widespread an archaic and immoral energy-system dependent on enslaved humanity toward a dystopian nightmare. Leading the charge are and the costs continue to drop every day. The price of utility- wealth-creation, powered by the clean, green, healthy, wholesome human labor. The entrenched interests who profited from that David and Charles Koch, whose industries are a template of “disaster scale solar plants has also plummeted dramatically, to around a and patriotic fuels from heaven. But the present administration system were willing to sacrifice our country and more than capitalism,” whose corporate headquarters are the command-center of billion dollars a gigawatt (compared to three-to-five billion per is doing all it can to pull us back from that position. half-a-million lives to maintain their power and profits. an organized scheme to undermine democracy and impose a corporate gigawatt to construct a new coal or gas plant, and six–to–nine Renewable energy sources like wind and solar create high- now, instead of a slave-holding gentry, the entrenched kleptocracy that will allow billionaires to profit from mass extinction in billion for a nuclear plant.) We can make energy by burning prime paying jobs, promote small businesses, give us local, resilient defenders of the system are the carbon tycoons cited in a our biosphere and the end of civilization. ribs if we choose to, but any rational utility seeking the cheapest, power and reduce dependence on foreign carbon fuels. They are book I recently co-wrote with Dick Russell titled Horsemen But in the revolution of renewable energy they will meet their safest form of energy is going to choose wind or solar. That’s good for our economy, our national security and for democracy. of the Apocalypse. personal apocalypse.

6 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 7 WaterkeeperAd2017.qxp_Layout 1 1/18/17 1:27 PM Page 1

CLEAN WATER • THE WATER PLANET’S FIRST RESPONDERS • CITIZEN ACTION WATERKEEPER

® WATERKEEPER ON THE COVER: Karnal River Waterkeeper Megh Ale is leading the WATERKEEPER fight to save the Karnali,N epal’s last free-flowing MAGAZINE

S epal’ river, from a proposal for a massive dam. 100% PCW PAPER Photo by Anup Gurung VOL um E 13 , ISS u Design by BoyBurnsBarn/John Turner 180 Maiden Lane, Ste. 603, New York, N.Y. 10038 E

2 [email protected] for questions or comments S t wild river 2017 Saving n Saving www.WATERKEEPER.org VOLumE 13, ISSuE 2 $5.95 The official magazine of Waterkeeper Alliance la MISSION: Waterkeeper Alliance strengthens and grows a global network of grassroots leaders protecting everyone’s right to clean water.

Tom Quinn Editor BoyBurnsBarn/John Turner Art Direction Robert E. Murphy Consulting Editor Rick Dove Photographer Lindsey Muzzio Photo Editor John Wathen Photographer

Globally, the paper industry is the single Board of Directors Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Casi Callaway Kris Moore Chris Wilke Deer Valley Resort is proud to salute the incredible largest industrial consumer of water and the PRESIDENT Karl Coplan Cheryl Nenn Gary Wockner Glenn R. Rink Grey C. Hecht Lessing Stern CHAIR Mark Mattson Terry Tamminen third greatest emitter of greenhouse gases. Wendy Abrams achievements of the Waterkeeper movement on six continents, Getting the Paper (More) Right! Waterkeeper Council You will notice that this copy of WATERKEEPER magazine is different from copies Casi Callaway / CHAIR Margarita Diaz Sam Perkins produced in the last few years. Although we are very proud of the paper selection Mobile Baykeeper Tijuana Waterkeeper Catawba Riverkeeper from the Hudson River to the Himalayas. choices we have made in the past, we have found that the industry has moved Mark Mattson Paul Gallay Kathy Phillips forward. Today we can print on a 100% Post Consumer Waste paper that provides Lake Ontario Riverkeeper Assateague Coastkeeper Waterkeeper dramatically better environmental savings at lower cost, without sacrificing the print Sharif Jamil Captain Bill Sheehan quality that our readers expect. Tonya Bonitatibus Buriganga Riverkeeper Hackensack Riverkeeper Savannah Riverkeeper Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Theo Thomas Kemp Burdette London Waterkeeper Now that WATERKEEPER magazine is printed on 100% Post Consumer Cape Fear Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn Waste, FSC-certified, chlorine-free Cascades RollandE nviro100 Satin, our new Milwaukee Riverkeeper Chris Wilke Hartwell Carson Puget Soundkeeper environmental savings metrics will be based on actual measurements and usage French Broad Riverkeeper Betsy Nicholas data at the mill. Using this paper more than doubles reductions of wastewater Waterkeepers Chesapeake Gary Wockner Sejal Choksi-Chugh Poudre RIVERkeeper created, solid waste generated and energy consumed. Because Cascades actually Baykeeper Rodrigo de la O Guerrero burns methane obtained directly from a local land fill, the green house gases Maule Itata Coastkeeper Hao Xin Karl Coplan / TREASURER Qiantang River Waterkeeper emitted are three times less than those of the previous paper manufacturer. This is done Pace University without purchasing either carbon offset or windpower credits, as our previous supplier did. We are very pleased with this new paper grade and anticipate you will be too. Trustee Council Glenn R. Rink, CHAIR F. Daniel Gabel, Jr. Kris Moore William B. Wachtel Environmental Savings (compared to products containing 100% virgin paper) Wendy Abrams Tom Gegax Heather Richardson Kent Weed William S. Brennan Grey C. Hecht Howard Rubin Yvonne Zappulla Gay Browne A. Judson Hill Laura & Rutherford Seydel Carla Zilka Ann Colley Ed Hubennette Lessing Stern James Curleigh Karen Percy Lowe & Terry Tamminen John Paul DeJoria Kevin Lowe Jami & Klaus von Heidegger 70 trees saved Leadership Circle Brian Acrish Mark Feuerstein Carrie Lee Bryce Perry 67,095 gallons wastewater flow saved Dr. Alan Andacht & Murray Fisher Karen Lehner CC Goldwater & David Sager Dr. Michael Maher Rafael Fogel Chad Lowe John R. Seydel Gabriele Bertaccini 8,481 lbs. solid waste not generated Barnaby Furnas Kathryn MacLeod Harper Simon Gordon Brown Neil Giuliano Camryn Manheim Deanna Clarkson Smith Dylan & Emmeli Bruno & Bob Smith 107,000,000 BTUs of energy not consumed Woody Harrelson James Manfredonia Jason C. Chryssicas Rachael Harris & Michael McCulloch Dr. Willian E. Smith Sean Currie Christian Hebel & Chris Kafentzis Tore Steen 22,047 lbs. of CO2 gas emissions prevented Virginia Dadey TJ Hill Nicole Miller Don Thompson Geralyn Dreyfous Katherine Kendrick Diane Neal Joe Tomlinson 107 MMBTU of energy saved Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley Ilene S. Landress Lewis Perkins Alexandra Weed

65 lbs. of nitrogen oxide (NOx) gas emissions prevented Staff Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kate Hudson In other words, the savings from our new paper choice is equivalent to: President Advocacy Coordinator, Western U.S. Marc Yaggi Sharon Khan EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Recruiting Director The annual emissions from 3 cars Lesley Adams Larissa Liebmann AND the annual energy consumption of household Senior Organizer, Western U.S. Staff Attorney 1 Christian Breen Donna Lisenby North Carolina CAFO Coordinator Clean & Safe Energy Campaign Manager Waterkeeper magazine is printed on chlorine-free, FSC-certified Rolland Enviro Rachel Cook Katherine Luscher 100 Satin 100% post-consumer recycled paper which is manufactured with biogas Finance & Operations Director Training Director Rick Dove Bart Mihailovich energy. This paper is certified by Ecologo and by Smartwood for FSC standards SENIOR ADVISOR Organizer, Eastern U.S. Our Commitment which promote environmentally-appropriate, socially-beneficial and economically- Dan Estrin Sergio Moncada viable management of the world’s forests. General Counsel & Advocacy Director Organizer, Latin America Kelly Foster Lindsey Muzzio SENIOR ATTORNEY Communications & Marketing Coordinator Instilling a culture of environmental sustainability to help ensure Deer Valley Resort Waterkeeper Alliance and Cascades Fine Papers are proud to reduce the Heather George Pete Nichols environmental burden related to paper production. Grants Manager Organizing Director Bori Gorog Mary Beth Postman stays green for future generations while maintaining its commitment to guest service. Office Manager Deputy Director Peter Harrison Tom Quinn Staff Attorney & U.S. Coal Campaign SENIOR EDITOR Coordinator Maia Raposo “All ski resorts, whether on public or private property, are charged with being stewards of the land. It's a responsibility that should Will Hendrick Communications & Marketing Director STAFF ATTORNEY & North Carolina Pure Min Zheng not be taken lightly and we at Deer Valley certainly do not,” says Bob Wheaton, resort president and general manager. Farms, Pure Waters Campaign Manager Organizer, Asia “The truth is, we've kept sustainability in mind since the resort's inception. Deer Valley is committed to the environmentally friendly © 2017 Waterkeeper Alliance. Reproduction of editorial content only is authorized with appropriate credit and acknowledgement. Basinkeeper, Beachkeeper, Channelkeeper, Creekkeeper,L akekeeper, Shorekeeper and Waterkeeper are registered trademarks and service marks of Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc. Coastkeeper, Gulfkeeper and Inletkeeper are trademarks and service marks licensed by Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc. practices we have in place and we will continue to focus on adopting new, innovative programs.” Riverkeeper is a registered trademark and service mark of Riverkeeper, Inc. and is licensed for use herein. Baykeeper and Deltakeeper are registered trademarks and service marks of Baykeeper, Inc. and are licensed for use herein. Soundkeeper is a registered trademark and service mark of Soundkeeper, Inc. and is licensed for use herein. Printed in USA - McArdle over 2.5 million square miles of watersheds

Who Is 35 countries more than 320waterways Waterkeeper Alliance?

Waterkeepers Bahamas is committed to preserve and protect Waterkeeper Alliance unites more than 300 the Bahamian environment through proactive policy change, Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates that are on the frontlines of the global water crisis, patrolling education, legal action and advocacy. and protecting more than 2.5 million square miles of rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on 6 continents. It all started with a commitment to preserving and protecting Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates defend Clifton Bay and other common marine environments our fundamental human right to drinkable, fishable surrounding New Providence Island. From a maritime cargo and swimmable waters from the Great Lakes to the facility proposed in the early 1990s to sprawling residential Himalayas, and combine firsthand knowledge of their waterways with an unwavering commitment to the development proposed in the late 1990s, the Bahamas’ rights of their communities. environment is facing a number of critical threats including overfishing, unregulated development, and pollution. There Whether they’re on the water tracking down polluters, in courtrooms enforcing environmental are few environmental regulations and little enforcement of laws, advocating in town meetings or teaching in existing laws in The Bahamas due to the size of the nation classrooms, the Waterkeeper movement speaks and the limited resources of law enforcement. for the waters it defends with the backing of local communities. Waterkeeper Alliance ensures that the world’s Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates are Rashema T. Ingraham serves as the Executive Director of as connected to each other as they are to their local Waterkeepers Bahamas where she focuses on education and waters, organizing the fight for clean water into a coordinated global movement. citizen action for clean water use, making frequent presentations to schools, church and youth groups. It was her late grandfather Everyone has the right to clean water. It is the action who opened her eyes to the waterworld, taking her into his of supporting members that ensures our future and strengthens our fight for clean water. To join self-made canoes when she was much younger to catch Waterkeeper Alliance go to www.waterkeeper.org fish and conch for the night’s enjoyment. She finds peace and click on “Donate Now” to join as a supporting and tranquility in or near the water, so she spends most of member. You can also join by mail. Send your check, payable to Waterkeeper Alliance, to WATERKEEPER her weekends at the beach with her two children. Membership, 180 Maiden Lane, Suite 603 New York, NY 10038. Follow Waterkeepers Bahamas on Facebook, and learn more about Waterkeeper Bahamas’ work – and how you can help Thanks for your support! – at www.savethebays.bs.

Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 11 Ripples

“The current environmental

impact statements do not

reflect best available science.” Photo b y C oli n F oord Photos b y E va n D ’ A lessa dro. above left, miami waterkeper rachel silverstein surveys for staghorn corals ,which are on the endangered species list, miami waterkeeper rachel silverstein near the port of miami dredging project. top, silverstein demonstrating how to take tissue samples of corals with a syringe for genetic analysis of the reefs near key biscayne. above; a trumpetfish shares the ocean floor with silverstein.

Miami Waterkeeper has agreed to put a temporary hold on its National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has determined that 95 represents Miami Waterkeeper and its partners in the suit. lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ project to percent of the surveyed reef is no longer suitable habitat for corals, each year, snorkeling and scuba diving in Florida account After Miami expand Port Everglades and make way for larger, “post-Panamax” and that some of the damaged reef will never recover naturally. for almost 30,000 full-time equivalent tourism-related jobs, and ships, so that the Corps can conduct new environmental studies “The Corps’ and NMFS’s prior environmental analyses contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the Florida economy. disaster, before starting its dredging. The Waterkeeper and its partners in simply ignored evidence from PortMiami that showed estimated “The reefs provide huge environmental and economic the suit, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Florida impacts from dredging near corals are significantly more harmful benefits to South Florida,” said Tom Ingram, President of the Wildlife Federation and America’s largest trade organization for and widespread than expected,” said Miami Waterkeeper Rachel trade organization for recreational divers. “We’re determined to Army CORPS recreational divers, claim that the Corps’ dredging plan fails to Silverstein. “The current environmental impact statements do help protect the natural reef from destruction so that generations account for damage to fragile coral reefs. not reflect best available science.” to come can continue to enjoy the opportunity to see, first-hand, will Re-evaluate The Corps has agreed to re-assess its analysis because “Under the law, a proper analysis must be done before this unique and precious natural resource.” of new information available about the widespread and further taxpayer dollars are spent on this potentially devastating the Port Everglades dredging, which was planned to begin unanticipated damage caused during a similar dredging project project,” added Brettny Hardy, an attorney at Earthjustice, which in 2017, is now expected to be on hold until at least 2019. PORT at nearby PortMiami, and the addition of more coral species to the federal Endangered Species Act’s list. Dredging In Miami “We’re determined to help protect the natural reef from proved disastrous to coral reefs in the area when, contrary to EVERGLADES the Corps’ assumptions, fine-grained sediment from the project destruction so that generations to come can continue to harmed tens of thousands of coral colonies and over 250 acres of enjoy the opportunity to see, first-hand, this unique and DREDGING reef designated by ESA as “critical habitat” for staghorn corals. The precious natural resource.”

12 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 13 Ripples

“People are atchafalaya basinkeeper worried about dean wilson with his german how bad shepherd shanka enforcement patrol the swamps where is going to be dean has saved thousands of under the new cypress trees. [presidential] administration, but for Louisiana it can’t get any worse, because there is no number below zero.” Bud H ardwick Louisiana Pipeline

Oversight Gets including those involving existing pipelines in the

p hoto b y david ha n so Grade of Zero basin. It called upon all of the agencies to deny A Waterkeeper fighting a pipeline in their watershed, and urging the permits until a proper investigation into the applicant’s the Army Corps to deny a permit, is a story we’ve heard many existing projects has been conducted, including analyses of times before. But what happens when the Corps isn’t even really its compliance with state and federal law, the total impact of on the ground? Atchafalaya Basinkeeper (ABK) is finding out. existing and proposed projects in the Atchafalaya Basin, and since last year, Atchafalaya Basinkeeper has been the ability of the Army Corps to enforce permits without proper collaborating with local citizens and NGOs in opposition to the funding and the existence of necessary infrastructure. ABK proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline, which would run 163 miles also has contacted Region 6 EPA to request that it call for an between Calcasieu and St. James parishes in Louisiana and environmental impact statement before making any decisions traverse a portion of the Atchafalaya Basin, the vast wetland regarding the proposed pipeline. formed where the Atchafalaya River meets the Gulf of Mexico. “People are worried about how bad enforcement is ABK has submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers going to be under the new [presidential] administration, and the Louisiana Departments of Environmental Quality and but for Louisiana it can’t get any worse, because there is no Natural Resources. In January and February 2017, it addressed number below zero,” said Dean Wilson, executive director and permitting and water-quality-criteria applications at public Basinkeeper. “We have zero people at the Corps reviewing hearings before the agencies. permits for compliance, zero” regulatory enforcement aBK argues that the proposed permit lacks evidence of for activities in the basin. Although the Corps’ New Orleans sufficient consideration of environmental impacts on the District now has one enforcer, for years we had zero and they wetlands and that the proposal by the applicant, an arm of have zero boats, making it impossible for them to inspect the Energy Transfer Partners, to use an existing right-of-way that is sites. It is because of this lack of enforcement that Energy currently out of compliance, is unacceptable. Energy Transfer Transfer Partners has existing pipelines in the basin that are Partners is the Dallas-based company building the controversial out of compliance with their permits and are devastating our 1,172-mile Dakota Access oil pipeline, a $3.7 billion project that wetlands.” will stretch across four states. to date, the permit applications are pending before the the Basinkeeper has also raised the issue of Energy Transfer respective agencies. Partners’ history of safety violations and pipeline incidents, – Bart Mihailovich, Organizer, Eastern U.S.

14 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Ripples

below, black warrior riverkeeper nelson brooke in his patrol boat.

as the result of a recent court ruling

initiated by black warrior riverkeeper, ® alabama citizens are now free to sue regarding the locations of coal slurry impoundments near drinking water sources, such as the one at right. p hoto b y n elso rooke. flight rovided southwi gs.org. p hoto b y joh n wathe RECLAIMED. Alabama citizens can now so, in the face of such cases as Shepherd Bend, Alabamans challenge decisions by the LLC’s seeking compensation for $250,000 in Alabama Surface Mining attorneys’ fees and costs from the Birmingham Commission without risking Water Works Board when it challenged a permit Now Free to financial ruin. Thanks to the that authorized coal-mining adjacent to and settlement of a lawsuit filed upstream of one of Birmingham’s primary Challenge by Black Warrior Riverkeeper, drinking-water intakes. Rights provided by Alabamans will no longer risk the Congress for citizens to play a vital role in imposition of attorneys’ fees and the implementation of the nation’s mining Coalmine costs when exercising their rights laws mean little when a fear of fees prevents under the federal Surface Mining their exercise. Owners Control and Reclamation Act of Black Warrior Riverkeeper requested 1977 (SMCRA). that the federal Office of Surface Mining, smCRA grants American Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) citizens broad rights when a mining permit require the Alabama Surface Mining is considered or issued, including rights to Commission to amend its regulation to comply examine the mining site, to initiate a formal with federal law, as OSMRE had done in Utah, hearing on the merits of the decision, and to Alaska and New Mexico. When OSMRE did have that decision judicially reviewed. A citizen not, Black Warrior Riverkeeper filed a suit may participate in inspections of mine property against OSMRE and the state’s Surface Mining if there is believed to be imminent harm to the Commission in July 2015. As a result of the suit, In partnership with environment or the public, may file a complaint the commission amended their regulation to ® about blasting, challenge an agency’s failure state explicitly that challenging citizens could Waterkeeper Alliance, BIONIC to take proper enforcement action, and appeal be liable for attorneys’ fees and costs only if any adverse decision to the courts. their challenge is in bad faith. That regulation strengthens communities while Before this settlement, the Mining was approved by OSMRE on October 26, 2016. cleaning up our Marine Commission’s regulations authorized itself or attorney Clay Ragsdale, who represents a coal-mining operator to recover attorneys’ private individuals in such challenges, worked Environments. fees and costs from a citizen challenging a with Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s staff attorney, regulatory decision, even when the challenge Eva Dillard, on the suit. was meritorious and in good faith. This “Coalfield citizens in Alabama,” said punitive regulation violated federal law and Dillard, “can now exercise the full- participation for the past 40 years discouraged citizens rights and oversight responsibilities that

from challenging the commission’s regulatory Congress provided them in the Surface Mining ® ® Waterkeeper Alliance’s Ocean Plastic Recovery Initiative mobilizes a vast network of Waterkeeper ® decisions. Although the commission had not Control and Reclamation Act, without the Organizations and Affiliates around the globe to establish recycling infrastructure and plastic recovery previously required such payments, citizens chilling effect of a fee award.” efforts to stop plastic pollution from entering our oceans. This network operates recycling facilities where were inhibited by the possibility that it could do recovered plastic is consolidated, sorted, and baled. BIONIC® acquires the processed plastics in exchange for a donation calculated at the baled commodities' fair market value that will provide much-needed support of the Waterkeeper Organization or Affiliate's ongoing work to protect and preserve their watershed. 16 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 17 Ripples Photo b y L i n d S moger

the leadership of cook inletkeeper has discouraged several reckless fossil-fuel energy projects in cook inlet.

Texas Billionaires Abandon Alaska is blessed with wild and through a wild salmon stream -- trading Alaskan spectacular natural amenities, away a renewable resource for a non- but logging, mining and other renewable one. Wild salmon are a vital part Coal-Mine extractive industries have long of Alaska’s culture and economy, providing taken a toll on its landscape and families and communities with sustainable Project waterways. It’s a state where the jobs and healthy food. fossil-fuel industry exercises a lot Coal from the Chuitna project would of power and control. In south- have been exported to Pacific Rim coal- central Alaska, however, Cook fired power plants, which release toxic Inletkeeper is pushing back hard, mercury that travels through atmospheric economic and and often winning. and oceanic currents to Alaska, elevating In a big blow to fossil fuels, levels of mercury found in its ocean fish. environmental PacRim Coal announced on April as part of their decade-long damages to 3rd that it is packing up its plans battle against the Chuitna mine, Cook to mine through 14 miles of Inletkeeper released a report in 2011 on fisheries, wild salmon stream on Alaska’s the potential economic costs and benefits ecosystems, Chuitna River to create the of the Chuitna coal mine. That report air, climate largest strip-mine in Alaska. The found that economic and environmental company, which is owned by Texas damages to fisheries, ecosystems, air, and water billionaires and incorporated in climate and water quality could cost Alaska quality could Delaware, sent a letter to the U.S. $2 billion in economic losses during the life Army Corps of Engineers saying of the project. cost Alaska that it had “decided to suspend “We hope [they] will finally recognize $2 billion in pursuit of permitting efforts on the that coal is a resource of the 19th century, Chuitna Coal Project.” and not something to invest in for the economic since the company began future,” said Carly Wier, executive director losses. pursuing permits in 2006, Cook of Cook Inletkeeper. “PacRim seems to be Inletkeeper and partners have making calculations that coal companies tenaciously opposed the Chuitna all over the world are making: times Coal Project and warned of the are changing and coal is no longer a precedent it would set as the profitable commodity.” first such project to mine directly --Lesley Adams, Senior Organizer, Western U.S.

18 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Ripples

contaminated the river in the harbor, and hundreds of acres of sediment containing PCBs, dioxin, PAH and DDE, and many other pollutants are found in the river-bottom and pose an ongoing risk to human and ecological health. willamette Riverkeeper has worked on this site since 2000, and, with its partners, has pushed for a plan that calls for significant dredging and engineered capping. It has also sought to limit the process of monitored “natural recovery,” by which the river’s natural sediments would cover up contaminated sediment. the City of Portland and the State of Oregon were early proponents of a cleanup plan. the EPA has listened to the community, and a portion of the willamette river’s portland is requiring more removal of pollution, engineered ® harbor superfund site. caps and more openness during the remediation. Photo by Travis Williams More than three million cubic yards of sediment On January 6th, the U.S.EPA released its “record of will be removed, and over 123,000 lineal feet of At Last, EPA decision” for the Willamette River’s Portland Harbor contaminated riverbank excavated. The Riverkeeper Superfund site, 16 years after its initial listing. The will press for the implementation of this plan over Outlines cleanup plan outlined in the decision, while not the next 10 years, but it will be a complicated process as strong as Willamette Riverkeeper had sought, because more than 150 parties hold some measure is a significant improvement over what had been of liability for the cleanup, and their financial Plan for put forward in a draft plan in June 2016. After that liabilities and responsibilities for particular actions draft was revealed, the Riverkeeper and its partners must be determined. Willamette helped to gather over 5300 public comments, 90 During the next year much will be decided percent of which supported a more robust cleanup. regarding priorities for the cleanup. And, at River the site extends nearly 11 miles downstream Willamette Riverkeeper’s urging, the State of from downtown Portland. The entire river Oregon and U.S. EPA have established the meanders nearly 200 miles through Oregon’s Willamette Toxics Reduction Taskforce, which Superfund Willamette Valley, from Eugene in the south to will work to identify sources of contamination SURFING • CONSERVING • FLOATING • BREWING • SWIMMING Portland in the north. that are far upstream. Site over the decades a significant amount -- Travis Williams, Willamette Riverkeeper of industrial and municipal pollution has DRINKING • FISHING • GIVING • protecting In Montana, Waterkeeper Acts Against That these folks protect our passions Blooming Algae Upper Missouri Waterkeeper settled a lawsuit in problem, the Waterkeeper took legal action. That March that will provide more information on and led to a settlement requiring the state and the further study of the growing problem of toxic algae dam’s owners to work with local stakeholders in Montana’s Upper Beaverhead watershed. to better assess the Beaverhead pollution issue, severe unnatural algae blooms and turbidity identify its scientific causes, and create solutions to on the Upper Beaverhead River have degraded stop the ballooning growth of toxic algae. the fish population over the last few years, hurting “It’s not enough for our decision-makers the local outdoor economy. The state estimates and government agencies to know and talk that in one year this pollution cost the local Dillon, about pollution problems,” said Upper Missouri Montana economy around $5 million. Waterkeeper Guy Alsentzer. “We need guaranteed Help support SweetWater’s efforts to raise funds for Upper Missouri Waterkeeper saw an action to identify and implement solutions. That opportunity to intervene when a proposal to retrofit type of tangible commitment is exactly what our Waterkeeper Alliance’s Clark Canyon Dam on the Beaverhead required re- settlement provides: a path forward that prevents licensing that involved state and federal officials. future pollution events and protects local citizens’ 500 waterways campaign When the state issued a permit for the dam without and businesses’ right to clean, fishable water. accounting for the connection between the dam’s Sometimes we can only vindicate the public’s right this Summer - protecting more than 2.5 million ongoing operations and the growing pollution to clean water through legal action.” square miles of our Earth’s precious waterways! unnatural algae blooms and turbidity from pollution on the upper

Photo b y W ade F elli n . beaverhead river have degraded the fish population in recent years. SWEETWATER IS DONATING $100,000 THIS SUMMER JOIN US AT SWEETWATERBREW.COM/SAVEOURWATER 20 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2

170504-SOW-partners-ad-8x10ish.indd 1 5/4/2017 4:48:50 PM Ripples

“an estimated 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater per year runs off roofs, roads, parking lots, and other paved surfaces” Photo b y C hris Navitsky

volunteers build a rain garden to combat stormwater pollution near the town of hague in warren county, new york.

When it rains on an urban itself, is distributed widely, and with the necessary consistency and At Lake landscape, it pours – pours coherent standards capable of controlling stormwater runoff at its many a toxic mixture of Valvoline, and varied sources. George, Weed-be-Gone, Miracle-Gro, now Lake George Waterkeeper is onto an exciting solution.T he Low tire-dust, Lucky Strikes, dog Impact Development CertificationS ystem (LID), created by The FUND poop and other components for Lake George, sponsor organization for Lake George Waterkeeper, is Putting of pollution into storm-drains, developing a powerful tool for managing stormwater runoff.S imilar to sewers and, ultimately, our LEED Certification for green buildings,L ID rewards public and private a “LID” on streams, rivers, lakes and bays. property owners for taking prescribed steps to protect, build, restore, and even if the water running maintain a property in ways that support lake health, applying proven “Largest through storm-drains were methods of stopping runoff as close to its source as possible. Harnessing boiled, distilled, filtered, and the momentum achieved in solving other threats to watershed health, sanitized before it rushes off including aquatic invasive species and road-salt migration, LID’s full Water- paved streets and sidewalks implementation at Lake George will provide a working model for green- rather than soaking into the infrastructure planning and effective implementation throughout theL ake Quality ground, it would have picked up Champlain Basin and beyond. all of the above pollutants and “LID Certification incentivizes the restoration and maintenance of Problem” more. Ordinary storms cause ecosystem services by promoting smart growth,” explains Lake George flash-floods that erode stream Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky, a licensed engineer. “We are not anti- banks, stirring up sediments that deplete dissolved oxygen necessary for development, we are anti-pollution. Low Impact Development balances marine life. Mounting pressure on waterways from stormwater runoff is growth and redevelopment with the protection and efficient use of responsible for contaminant loading of chemicals, road salt, fertilizers, and resources, all for the benefit of our communities.” more. And water that doesn’t enter the ground can cause a groundwater Unlike ecological threats that are beyond individual or local control, system to run on empty. The cooling springs that feed our neighborhood stormwater runoff and pollution from built environments can be streams in summer run dry. effectively managed within watersheds by LID because it mimics and, nationwide, according to a report by theN atural Resources Defense as much as possible, maintains natural drainage-patterns, site features, Council, “an estimated 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater per and hydrology to absorb, cleanse and filter stormwater.P roperly applied, year runs off roofs, roads, parking lots, and other paved surfaces, often LID enables buildings, roads, and landscapes to “work more like a forest” through the sewage systems, into rivers and waterways that serve as when it rains, protecting watersheds and water quality.L eading by example, Proud Supporter drinking-water supplies, and flows to our beaches, increasing health risks, the LID Certification awards points for avoiding very steep slopes, maintaining degrading ecosystems, and damaging tourist economies.” Because the shoreline buffers, protecting native trees of certain size and value, limiting exact origin of diffuse pollution from stormwater and snowmelt cannot impervious surfaces and lawn areas, providing natural stormwater treatment, of easily be identified, it is exceedingly difficult to solve the problem through and other techniques that naturally and effectively manage runoff. conventional regulation and controls. “Such environmentally sound engineering practices and established In sum, stormwater is a major clean-water issue. In fact, the U.SEPA. techniques,” says Navitsky, “provide cost-effective means for property Waterkeeper Alliance has declared it “the nation’s largest source of water-quality problems.” owners, developers, designers, engineers, public agencies, maintenance Remediation calls for responsive innovation that, much like the problem staff and others to readily mitigate stormwater runoff.” Prudential Center • Boston • Massachusetts 22 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 www.bostonproperties.com Ripples Our product promises more control and clearer calls. Our business promises to give back. Rock a blue SplitPea and we’ll donate 5% of profits to Waterkeeper Alliance, which fights to Photos b y C aroli n a M oli protect waterways around the world — the lifeblood of the places we adventure in.

The Curse of Plastic Ocean nicoya peninsula waterkeeper carolina chavarria, above and left, has led the campaign against Waste mainly plastic marine debris along her area’s beautiful beaches, and is now being helped by bionic. Much of the natural beauty alone, Chavarría and a small band of volunteers collected 17 tons Now Part around it remains intact but of recyclable metal, glass, and cardboard. But without a way to the town of Santa Teresa is recycle plastics, bottles and other plastic waste have been a of the no longer the undiscovered growing problem. To confront it, Chavarría partnered with BIONIC, surfer’s paradise. Located near a New York-based startup company that turns coastal and marine Cure the southern tip of Costa Rica’s plastic debris into yarns and fabrics for clothing. Since its founding Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa in 2009, BIONIC has worked with several apparel brands to was once a sleepy village but incorporate its yarn into products varying from denim jeans to was discovered in the 2000s by adventure-seekers attracted to its snowboarding jackets. white-sand beaches, consistent surf-break and world-class nature In late 2015 one of BIONIC’s founders, vacationing in Santa reserves within walking distance. Today, this piece of paradise is Teresa, asked locals about plastic waste and recycling efforts, and was experiencing growing pains. As tourism has increased, so has the connected with Chavarría. Their dialogue blossomed into a project volume of trash, and the community is struggling to keep plastic to set up a system to collect plastic waste washing up ashore. T his waste from winding its way onto Santa Teresa’s pristine beaches. summer Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper and BIONIC will begin to Carolina Chavarría, the Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper, is collect plastic in six coastal communities and five inland towns. addressing these discomforts head-on. A native Costa Rican, she the Waterekeeper will operate a plastic-recycling facility where it worked for many years in Africa and South America, designing and will consolidate, sort, and bale the plastic it collects, which will be managing environmental and social-development projects. She sold to BIONIC for processing into yarn and fabrics. Proceeds from returned home in 2010, and moved to Santa Teresa, a town she the sales will support the Waterkeeper’s projects. had long been in love with. When residents there decided to put “I am very heartened by this collaboration,” says Chavarría, in place a concerted effort to safeguard and protect their town’s “not only because it’ll impact positively the coastal waters of Santa beaches, they formed Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper, and Chavarría Teresa and nearby towns but also because it shines a light into how TAKE BACK CONTROL jumped at the opportunity to lead it. purpose and profit can overlap to make a difference.P eople in the For the past couple of years, Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper community are aware and educated, they are ready to recycle, and has organized monthly cleanups and recycling-events. In 2016 now they have the means to do so.” www.SplitPeaSound.com

24 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 25 Ripples Photo b y Y u nL o n g a 杨云龙 Photos b y R i n che W acher Photos b y An u p G uru n g the village where these indigenous nepalese children live is being threatened by a massive dam project. nepal now has five waterkeeper organizations and two waterkeeper affiliates speaking up for its people. Trishuli, SunKoshi, experience the Trishuli when they travel from zheng dong of qiantang river waterkeeper stands over pools of hog waste while inspecting the A Summit Amid the and SetiGandaki Kathmandu to explore Nepal, and Trishuli River facility on radish hill. Himalayan Summits, Where Rivers, all founded Waterkeeper is currently advocating for their by Nepal Rivers waterway to be designated a Heritage River. Zheng Dong, a substandard sewage management caused pollution, More Waterkeepers Arise Conservation Trust megh and the summit organizers made In staffer at Qiantang and that proper treatment of sewage would benefit (NRCT). Each of sure that participants experienced the power River Waterkeeper, him, neighboring farms and the nation. And, under these rivers faces of the river and its rapids, arranging a two-hour Zheijang typically works long the guidance of various governmental departments, When a devastating earthquake shook Nepal further threats from sand-mining, hydropower- rafting trip for more than 200 of us. hours patrolling Xixi became a model ecological farm within a month, in April 2015 and took more than 8,000 lives, dam projects and climate-change. It will take “Rafting on the Trishuli afforded our diverse Province, the waterways of a development that earned the praise ofM r. Xia and Bagmati River Waterkeeper Mausam Khanal, an army of Waterkeepers to tackle all these group the opportunity to bond over water Quzhou City in brought pride to Mr. Dong. Megh Ale (now the Karnali River Waterkeeper) problems, and it is fortunate that theW aterkeeper at the beginning of the summit,” Christine It’s the Zhejiang Province, In Zhejiang Province there are many stories like and their entire team of river guides and network is growing quickly and making Ellis commented. “The Trishuli could serve China. May 1st of that of Radish Hill, which are becoming known thanks conservationists took unprecedented action to substantial progress in their communities. It has as a metaphor for the issues we face as river Year of 2016, however, was largely to Qiantang River Waterkeeper’s training help rescue remote communities and rebuild organized a world-class cleanup program with advocates: times of calmness and agreement, not a typical day citizens in environmental protection and water the country. Because of their actions, the thousands of volunteers on the Bagmati River in then times of discord and rough waters.” No Pig- for him. He was safety. The Xixi cleanup brought renewed support Waterkeeper family in Nepal has grown bigger, Kathmandu, engaged smart and talented young nepal’s first official national rafting team patrolling the river for Qiantang River Waterkeeper and the Zhejiang stronger and more determined to save Nepal’s people, and is recruiting more affiliates to help joined us at the summit to show us the gorgeous Waste with two volunteer Environmental Observation program’s “Clean Himalayan Rivers. protect clean water across Nepal. landscapes that are threatened by a proposal water-quality Source Action” project from the Alibaba Public this past March, I spent 10 days in the River Summit, organized by NRCT, for a mega-dam project on the Karnali, which monitors, YunLong Yang and Shiliang Li, when they Welfare Foundation, an environmental-protection Nepal, along with Columbia Riverkeeper Nepal’s Youth Alliance for Environment and is Nepal’s last free-flowing river and its most passed a hillside dubbed “Radish Hill” on which fund established by China’s e-commerce giant, Brett VandenHeuvel, Waccamaw two major Nepali universities, brought together pristine. Descending from Mount Kailash and A mobile app there were 26 pig-houses belonging to Xixi Farm. Alibaba Group. Riverkeeper Deputy Director Christine Ellis in Kathmandu local environmental scientists, flowing to the Indian border, it is sacred to both To the right of these structures was a pool for pig- the Clean Source Action project hosts roundtable and Waterkeeper Alliance’s Asia Regional public-interest lawyers, students, representatives Hindus and Buddhists. The rafting team ran called waste, from which a foul-smelling stream of muddy meetings with partners to explore solutions to local Coordinator Min Zheng, to help train and from USAID and World Wildlife Fund, prospective the first Nepali-only expedition to descend the “smart-river,” wastewater flowed down the hill into an irrigation water-pollution issues, and invites members of organize our growing network of Himalayan Waterkeepers and government officials, including river, and was the first to engage the indigenous canal, saturating adjacent farmland with pig-waste environmental protection departments and civil Waterkeepers, affiliates and partners. Included the minister for population and environment. people that live along it. Their traditional way designed to and, ultimately, draining into a nearby waterway. society organizations to train the public, especially in that network are over 200 “Kung Fu nuns” this gathering was orchestrated by Megh of life would be criminally destroyed by the mr. Dong inquired of local villagers about the young people, in environmental inspection from the Buddhist Drukpa lineage, who practice Ale, a powerful force of nature in his own right. dam project, and Karnali River Waterkeeper is address river pollution, and they told him that Xixi Farm’sdraining skills. There are now over 170 volunteer water- martial arts to promote female empowerment. As a child, he would often visit a nearby river, committed to keeping the river flowing free. issues, has led to of animal sewage into nearby farmland had been a quality monitors who have joined Qiantang River We also participated in the 2ndN epal River Summit where he learned to kayak and raft, and he quickly Just as impressive as the rafting team and common practice for nearlytwo years. He immediately Waterkeeper in its efforts to achieve clean water. A 2017, where over 250 local stakeholders and became one of Nepal’s leading white-water-rafting guides were the young Nepalese we met. They the resolution contacted Qiantang River Waterkeeper’s longtime ally, mobile app called “smart-river,” designed to address youths gathered to develop their knowledge of the guides, and eventually one of its most outspoken clearly appreciate the value of their country’s “Focus Today,” a Zhejiang television program, to bring river issues, has led to the resolution of 91 pollution river-conservation advocates. Megh gathered his natural resources, and even fill their social- of 91 pollution conservation and management of Nepal’s rivers. awareness to the issue. Within the week the program cases, including Xinnan Lake’s acid-water problem, “Nepal is a place of contrasts: striking beauty fellow guides and formed NRCT in 1995; today, media feeds with images of its wonders. T his cases scheduled a film-crew to investigate the site, and on illegal discharge of wastewater by an industrial park, and terrible pollution,” Brett VandenHeuvel it remains one the most effective voices for generation of young environmentalists is eager May 17 the program aired their report. The news of and dumping of waste near coastlines. observed. “Raw sewage pours into rivers, plastic Nepal’s rivers. to become advocates for Nepal’s rivers and help the pollution soon reached the secretary of Zhejiang environmental observers have provided provincial is burned on the streets, and formerly clear rivers the Summit was held at a campsite on the their country prosper. They recognize that land- Provincial party, Mr. Baolong Xia. Within two days Mr. and municipal news media with nearly 100 pieces run brown. The rivers of Nepal need a voice to Trishuli River’s largest and most pristine beach, and river-conservation, along with eco-tourism, Xia had investigated the farm himself and condemned of evidence of the effectiveness of this grassroots speak for them, and the Nepali Waterkeepers where as a young man Megh discovered his have tremendous potential to provide for their the pollution. He emphasized the need for a proper movement, which has now drawn government’s serve that role. In a place where environmental laws path to becoming a guide and voice for rivers. people. And Waterkeeper Alliance’s growing environmental impact assessment and called for a attention and spurred many regional leaders to are rarely enforced, Waterkeepers will step up.” The river is named for Trishula, or the trident of network is helping them achieve their vision for rapid upgrade of livestock operations. support Qiantang River Waterkeeper. there are now five Waterkeeper Shiva, one of the most powerful Hindu gods. a sustainable Nepal. the owner of Xixi Farm acknowledged that organizations in Nepal, on the Bagmati, Karnali, Outdoor enthusiasts from around the world - Sharon Khan, Recruiting Director

26 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 27 he founding story of Mobile wanted the eastern side of the bay to be residential, Baykeeper bears a stark and this side of the bay to be solely industrial.” Coast alcontrast to that of many other Plans were laid for the construction of a Waterkeepers throughout the sewage-outfall pipe, 80-feet long and 40-feet world. It wasn’t founded by wide, to be built two miles from the mouth of commercial fishermen trying to Fowl River, a 14.4-mile-long brackish river that reclaim their river and restore discharges into Mobile Bay and is lined with theirt livelihoods (as was the case with the both full-time and vacation homes. alabama first Waterkeeper Organization, Hudson “Some folks on Fowl River got word of this Riverkeeper) or by fierce environmental announcement and began to call each other up advocates who had years of experience fighting to spread the news,” says Greer. for clean water. Or by persons who considered This grassroots group, known as the on their minds themselves environmentalists at all. Fowl River Protective Association, began “I think the thing that sets us apart from holding regular meetings at a nearby church Founded by persons of property, expanded most other environmental organizations is and formed into West Bay Watch in 1997. that we were founded by a group of politically As they investigated the environmental conservative waterfront property owners who implications of those chemical plants, they by disaster, Mobile Baykeeper is an cared about their health, their kids being able to discovered that Mobile County’s economic swim in Mobile Bay, the quality of their seafood, policy had encouraged industry for decades, improbable success story. and their property values,” says Baykeeper and and that the Environmental Defense Fund Executive Director Casi Callaway, who has led the ranked Mobile County first in the nation for the organization and its predecessor for 19 years. presence of chemicals linked to reproductive BY HANLON W ALSH Leading the charge in the mid-1990s was and developmental disorders, and fifth in those Jack V. Greer, a prominent, well-respected known to be cancerous hazards. businessman with a home on a peaceful Logan Gewin, another founding member stretch of the western shore of Mobile Bay, far of West Bay Watch, who later succeeded Greer removed from more tourist-ridden destinations as president, remembers driving near the one of Coastal Alabama such as Gulf Shores and industrial site on the western shore where Orange Beach. Now 90, he still resides there chemical plants had already been built, and “seeing with his wife Janice, and can vividly recall the all of those smoke stacks in the air, and wanting to early days of what was then known as West know if it was safe to breathe. At the time it was Bay Watch. Greer and a small group of other a few decision-makers who were trying to decide concerned residents mobilized when plans the future of this area. One day, we agreed were announced for the construction of a that it was time to draw the line and tell them chemical plant near his family’s home. we didn’t want any more of these chemical “The ‘powers that be’ announced they were plants coming here.” going to take over the entire western shore of In 1998, the growing organization changed Mobile Bay for industrial development, primarily its name to Mobile Bay Watch, and expanded for chemical companies,” says Greer. “They its mission to address air- and water-quality

28 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 29 “your job isn’t to fight for jobs.

Your job is to Photo b y M o ile Baykee p er fight for Mobile Photo b y F iresto n e Photogra p hy. Bay. If you don’t step up and do something, then who’s going to?” photo near right, hundreds of volunteers gather to help build a quarter-mile artificial oyster reef during a coastal restoration project on mobile bay. far right, casi callaway and robert f. kennedy, jr., at the official launch of mobile baykeeper in 2001, the $20 crab trap was auctioned for $250. issues on both the east and west sides of the bay. But demands a site-visit. Mobile Baykeeper at the way MAWSS would operate. Under its terms, the agency was released. During those months, Mobile Baykeeper’s tireless response were such that many of the volunteers couldn’t keep up with the time was in a fierce battle with a required to make a significant investment to upgrade infrastructure, and restoration plan drew national attention, as well as financial support the workload, as they juggled their commitment with those chemical company, and Callaway was an amount that has now reached nearly $200 million. And remarkably, that allowed it to double its budget and staff. to families and full-time careers. Jean Downing, a founding being sharply criticized and accused what had started as a lawsuit eventually turned into a partnership. Though the BP disaster occurred more than seven years ago, member who worked tirelessly alongside Gewin to establish of being opposed to job creation. She Shortly after the settlement, the two organizations joined in a fight Baykeeper is still very much engaged in restoration efforts throughout credibility for the organization in the first few years, remembers will always remember advice that she against the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), which coastal Alabama. “We have a lot of money coming to the Gulf Coast the moment she realized they needed to hire a staff person: “I received from Dove. in 2004 had proposed construction of a new highway that would cross that needs to be spent wisely on projects that restore and enhance what came to the point and thought – I can’t do this anymore,” she “Rick said, ‘Casi, your job isn’t to nine streams within the Big Creek Lake Reservoir, Mobile’s primary was lost,” says Callaway. “We’re working hard to make sure that the said. “There were too many things that came up that were fight for jobs. Your job is to fight for source of drinking water. majority of funds go toward projects that will make us resilient enough slipping through the cracks, and we knew it was time for Mobile Bay. If you don’t step up and “The whole situation was a giant mess,” says Callaway. “They hadn’t to withstand the next disaster, manmade or natural.” someone who could take this job on full-time.” do something, then who’s going to?’” even conducted an environmental impact statement and were allowing With a full-time staff of eight, a 19-member board of directors, more They hired Casi Callaway as the first full-time director of Nearly 17 years later, Callaway evokes massive amounts of red clay to be dumped in our drinking-water supply.” than 4,500 members and an annual operating budget of nearly $700,000, West Bay Watch, and shortly thereafter applied for and received these words as a mantra whenever After years of litigation, the partnership settled with ALDOT in Baykeeper, once viewed by many as a radical clique, is now considered a nonprofit status. Callaway, who today also serves as the chair she encounters opposition. 2007, exacting tightened rules regarding the amount of dirt that could trusted environmental watchdog and informed voice of reason. of Waterkeeper Alliance’s Waterkeeper Council, had recently Such inspiration and be uncovered while building new roads, as well as more stringent “Twenty years ago, we were way behind the rest of the country,” moved back to the Mobile area after working for Clean Water encouragement helped carry Mobile statewide stormwater regulations. says Logan Gewin. “What Casi and Mobile Baykeeper have done over Action in Washington, D.C. for eight years. She knew that she Baykeeper through some significant “Collaboration has been behind every successful campaign we have the years is bring the issues of clean water and protection of our natural faced a different kind of battle in her politically conservative, milestones. In 1999, it filed its first won,” Callaway says. “This was such a unique scenario, that despite resources to the forefront of our community.” industry-minded hometown, where most residents viewed lawsuit, against the Mobile Area being in a previous lawsuit with MAWSS, we were able to work together Jean Downing, who still monitors industrial projects near her environmentalists as left-wing extremists. Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) and win a huge battle that saved the drinking-water supply for hundreds home on the western shore and regularly communicates with the “People down here didn’t like the word ‘environmentalist,’” for violations under the Clean Water of thousands of our citizens.” Baykeeper staff, couldn’t agree more. “Today,” she adds, “when there are she recalls, “but many of them were proud conservationists Act, after it discovered that MAWSS Notable as these victories were, arguably the most significant event environmental questions that come up in our community, people know who were hunters and fishermen with families who spent their had been spilling 2.5 million gallons of in Mobile Baykeeper’s history occurred after the explosion aboard a BP they have a trusted resource to call on – and that’s Mobile Baykeeper.” summers on Mobile Bay. It was just a matter of showing people raw sewage into the bay annually. Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling rig on April 20, 2010, which killed 11 As it has developed, however, Mobile Baykeeper’s mission has that we were all on the same team, whether or not they realized “One of the very first things we workers. Immediately after the spill, Callaway was unsure how it would remained the same–to protect the beauty, health, and heritage of its it at the time.” knew we were going to have to deal affect Alabama’s Gulf Coast until she heard disturbing news from other watershed and Alabama’s coastal communities. Given the recent shift In September 1999, Mobile Bay Watch affiliated with with was sewage,” says Callaway. Waterkeeper groups who had experience dealing with oil spills, including in political administrations, Callaway knows that she and her staff will Waterkeeper Alliance, and then changed its name to “Sewage spills kept occurring because Casco Baykeeper in Maine, San Francisco Baykeeper and Cook Inletkeeper have to walk a thin line amid politically conservative supporters in a Mobile Baykeeper. MAWSS was putting Band-Aids in Alaska. “red” state. But this is a challenge she is all too familiar with. “When we joined Waterkeeper Alliance,” says Callaway, on the system and not making the “We learned that because they waited seven days to burn the oil, it “Our members know that our waterways are integral to our “I realized I had a larger family and they gave me the tools I types of upgrades that were critical to was going to be a massive spill,” says Callaway. In fact, it became the worst economic vitality, our community strength, and our success,” she needed to better understand our issues and translate them for prevent more spills.” environmental disaster in U.S. history. “One day it was leaking 5,000 gallons concludes. “We must continue emphasizing that clean water is a non- our politically conservative climate.” After nearly two years of a day, then the next day it would be 25,000 gallons a day, and so on.” partisan issue and remind them that we need their support now, more Shortly afterward, Rick Dove, the founding Neuse negotiations, the parties reached a This would continue for 87 days, until the well was finally capped than ever.” W Riverkeeper, traveled down from North Carolina to conduct settlement that markedly improved on July 15th. By then, more than 200 million gallons of oil had been Hanlon Walsh is the communications coordinator at Mobile Baykeeper.

30 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 31 saving THE WILD

egh Ale (pronounced “Ah- lay”) is a patient man. His eyes twinkle, the corners of his mouth almost always turned up into a soft smile. In the shadow ofK a massive daARm proposal, M He was a monk before he Nepal’s Waterkeepers take to the water to started his rafting, adventure travel, and river conservation endeavors. Patience is a virtue Waterkeeper Expedition,” and wasn’t only protect Nepal’s last wild river. in Nepal if you are a river conservationist. about rafting. Organized in cooperation with But a sense of alarm is also there in Ale’s face the Nepal River Conservation Trust, which story and photos by GARY WOCKNER, Poudre Waterkeeper and voice. Nepal has about 6,000 rivers and Ale co-founded in 1995, and Waterkeeper streams, and every single river is dammed, Alliance, which Ale joined in 2016 as the except one. That’s right — one. Karnali River Waterkeeper, this journey was NA Now, that final free-flowing river, the dedicated to protecting the Karnali. Karnali, is also threatened, and Ale is trying On our first day at the put-in (the to save it. starting point for the rafting trip), five of us The Karnali River begins in the awoke early and drove 18 miles upstream to Himalaya Mountains in Nepal near the the proposed site of the Upper Karnali River Tibet border and Mt. Kailish, the spiritual Dam in the village of Daab. GMR, a private Quickly after arriving, four of us snuck down center for four eastern religions − Hinduism, Indian engineering firm that is named for through the village to the bank of the river Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon. The mountain its founder, G. M. Rao, plans to build the and unveiled a “SAVE THE KARNALI” is believed to be where the Hindu Lord 520-foot-tall hydroelectric facility there. The banner that proclaimed, “The last best place LI Shiva sits in a state of perpetual meditation. company has built a small headquarters in in Nepal and only free flowing river in the In bold contrast, the Karnali is never still. It Daab, their six modern buildings contrasting country.” We photographed the event and rages down the canyons of western Nepal, dramatically with the traditional mud and returned to our trip’s starting-point at the set off, I could see the blade of my paddle its glacier-fed blue-green waters glistening slash-roofed homes of the villagers. village of Sauli, which would be the last through the Karnali’s blue-green water, in the sun. The GMR project is just one of several large settlement we’d see for eight days which is clear down to about six feet, then In the first week of last November, proposals to dam the Karnali, including a – and the street where we parked our bus becomes clouded by the dissolved minerals which is the dry season in Nepal, Ale and competing Nepal-government plan for a would be the last road. Most of the canyon running off the Himalayan glaciers. his team from the rafting company he owns, 1,345-foot dam that would be the world’s downstream from Sauli is dotted with small We estimated the river’s flow at this the karnali river expedition began at the site of the Ultimate Descents, led 21 international tallest. These proposals have ignited a farming villages accessible only on foot. point to be 20,000 cubic feet per second, proposed upper karnali dam, where megh ale (opposite page), far left, and gary wockner, far right, unveiled a “save the adventurers from 10 different countries massive controversy in Nepal and have We quickly eased into the water, and which is probably one-fifth what it would karnali” banner. it continued through villages where on an eight-day trip on the Karnali. Our increasingly drawn international attention left the village and the bus behind us. As our be during the wet season in June, July, and expedition members met members of the raute people, nepal’s only nomadic tribe. expedition was the inaugural “Karnali River from activists and media. armada of three large rafts and three kayaks August, when the monsoons drench the

32 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 33 the

riveris not only a priceless ecological treasure but is home to unique

opposite page, left to right, clockwise, and endangered a raute encampment, expedition leader indigenous and karnali river waterkeeper megh ale, communities one of the expedition’s rafts, one of the as well. karnali’s beautiful sandy beaches, and an expedition member with part of a just- slaughtered goat that she had bartered tribal members for. dry. Because the Karnali makes a long circling switchback in the proposed area of the dam, the project would maximize the power created by the fall in the river, entire country. The following three months while minimizing the length of the tunnel, has not yet materialized. are the year’s driest and sunniest, and now thereby creating a relatively cheap source A countering proposal is to keep the the high watermark of the river could be of electricity. Karnali free-flowing as the only protected seen 10 feet above us, below which the All of the dam proposals for the river in Nepal and a source of conservation, banks had been scoured clean of vegetation Karnali have been delayed for two decades pride, and eco-tourism for the its people. and most debris. It is water at that top level due to politics and competition among the The country’s nascent river-protection that the dam companies are hoping to divert proposals, including the Nepal government’s movement, led in part by Megh Ale and and harness to generate electricity. proposal to build the world’s largest dam his colleagues, has the strongest voice in Although the financial, political, and and to maintain ownership of the project this controversy, and has brought together ecological details have yet to be worked and the electricity. The GMR proposal took members of the country’s many religious out, GMR plans to build what’s called a “run a step forward in 2014 when the company and ethnic groups. Ale is working to build of the river” hydroelectric project, which reached an agreement with the government. a national campaign to produce legislation would divert almost all of the water out of The proposal calls for shipping 75 percent of similar to the U.S.’s National Wild and Scenic the river, bore a massive two-kilometer-long the electricity to India. But the project has Rivers Act, to protect the Karnali River and tunnel down through a mountain, place a stalled for lack of both funding and political its corridor that extends from the Chinese powerhouse at the tunnel’s bottom, then support. Facing a projected cost of nearly border, through Nepal and down into India. run the water back into the river 44 miles a billion dollars, the project’s backers have It was this proposal that was on our downstream, with the result that those 44 sought financing from the World Bank and minds as we paddled and floated past several miles of river would be virtually drained other international lending agencies, which small villages during the first few days of

34 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 35 The Waterkeeper left, a placid stretch of the karnali. below, clockwise, a villager in her home, a stretch of rapids, and some of the Karnali Expeditions expedition’s members in are dedicated to SAVing the their kayaks. We invite you to join the 12 days expedition. KARNALI, the last and most The expedition is jointly organized by Ultimate pristine Himalayan River. Descents Nepal and Nepal River Conservation Trust (Karnali River Waterkeeper). Fall season: Spring Season: October 24 to March 24 to November 4, 2017 April 4, 2018 a campaign expedition to (12 days) (12 days) bring awareness to Karnali River communities, policy makers, politicians of Nepal and people around the world in order to keep this the expedition, becoming increasingly bowls and taking the Raute chief for his beautiful river free flowing. aware that the river is not only a priceless first-ever ride in a raft. ecological treasure, but is home to unique As we continued down the river, and endangered indigenous communities as we regularly came across villages carved well. One memorable scene developed as we out of the forest every few miles. Their approached a moderate-sized rapid around a inhabitants have been thriving there for The River-only cost large bend in the river. A funeral pyre burned hundreds of years by fishing, farming rice rapids would nonetheless be diminished by brightly on the bank, surrounded by about 50 and vegetables, and selling and trading the hydropower project. And the wonderful $1100.00 people holding candles. other goods when they hiked out of the beaches that line the river banks would be Ale had told us when we started out canyon. The villages’ residents sold us fish even more diminished − the dam would For more info: that we might see Raute people, Nepal’s and vegetables, and, at one point, a goat, trap all of the sand and sediment upriver last nomadic tribe. Small bands of the www.udnepal.com or www. which we slaughtered and ate over the next and over time would rob the beaches in tribe live as hunter-gatherers in the forest two days. We often encountered villagers nepalrivers.org.np the lower river of their sand, just as dams do mile-wide corridor all the way along its route surrounding the Karnali. On the fourth day of in long dugout canoes, paddling along the all over the planet. The dam also would block from Mt. Kailish on the Tibetan border, Email: [email protected] our expedition, as we set up our tents at a place edges of the river and ferrying themselves the passage of endangered migrating fish, down into Bardia National Park in Nepal, and or [email protected] called Scorpion Beach, two Raute walked out and products from bank to bank across including the mahseer, which can grow five through Nepal into India to the headwaters of of the forest to visit us. Their dialect overlaps its calmer stretches. We occasionally saw feet long and weigh over 100 pounds, and the the Ganges. Although the country contains Many thanks for your help with the Nepali language, so Ale and the people slipping through the forest above us, giant catfish, which can be even bigger. And it many national parks and spends vast amounts Amid massive mountains and glaciers that to promote Save the Karnli Nepali guides and rafters who were with us sometimes walking down to the beach to would further endanger these fish, the human of money to protect them and their wildlife, it fascinate the world, the beautiful Karnali were able to talk with them. say hello, sometimes not. expedition. PROCEEDS will go culture that survives on the fish, as well as the has no protected rivers. still runs free and begs to be saved, and Ale Over the next 24 hours, a few dozen While the human culture along the and his team are digging in for the adventure to Karnali river Waterkeeper river’s burgeoning eco-tourist economy. As our expedition ended on the eighth Raute members came into our camp; then Karnali may be several hundred years old, Three raft companies currently run day, we floated out into the plains at the of doing so. W to keep the campaign going. we accompanied them to their makeshift the geology of the river and the canyon a few multi-day expeditions on the river town of Chisapani, where the river widens The expedition will be led by village where they were living in huts made has been forming for millions of years. For each year. One of our crewmates, Ramesh before braiding downstream, and where An earlier version of this article previously appeared in the online Earth Island Journal. Megh Ale, founder President of branches covered with tarpaulin. They an unforgettable two-day stretch, we ran Bhusal, a journalist who also works with large diversion structures already suck out of Nepal River Conservation subsist by harvesting large tuni trees, whose through a steep-walled canyon of hard rock Waterkeeper Alliance along another Nepali water to supply the massive rice farms on Gary Wockner, PhD, is the Poudre Trust/ Karnali River rich dark wood they carve into bowls, that created fabulous rapids. We scouted river, stated his belief that the eco-tourist the plains. So the Karnali River remains Waterkeeper in Fort Collins, Colorado, and boxes and stools that they trade to Nepali then raced through “class III” and “class Waterkeeper and Ultimate economy has great potential to expand undammed, but not untouched. a member of Waterkeeper Alliance’s board Descents Nepal. villagers and occasional tourists. The IV” rapids named “Sweetness and Light,” and provide more sustainable jobs than the Plans to keep it undammed are gaining of directors. He is also an award-winning Nepal government has granted the Raute “Jailhouse Rock,” “God’s House,” “Juicer,” hydropower project. steam through efforts to reach out to international environmental activist, writer, privileges to cut down these big, beautiful and “Flip and Strip.” Although GMR’s Megh Ale takes this idea a step further; international funding agencies, media and and consultant who focuses on water-and- See you downstream.... river protection. He is author of the 2016 trees, which are otherwise protected. Our proposed dam, tunnel and powerhouse are he foresees a “Karnali River National Park” political leaders, and to further develop the book, River Warrior: Fighting to Protect the cultural exchange included buying some upstream of this wild section of the river, the that would protect not only the river, but also a eco-tourism economy of rafting and fishing. World’s Rivers.

36 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 37 Photo b y F elicia H ero n . FROM Photo b y Noah Berger/ R euters. DROUGHT

uring the dry years, the people forgot about the rich Oroville Dam, the tallest in the United States. water use, as well as prohibiting water-wasting practices such as Lessons from years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all Our reservoirs and snowpack have quickly been replenished, spraying sidewalks with drinking water. Many communities and California for a memory of the dry years. It was always that way.” but other effects of that longstanding drought are still being felt. businesses stepped up immediately to comply, but some affluent John Steinbeck’s comment on California’s The years of scorching temperatures and low flows hammered our areas, including Palm Springs and North San Diego, blatantly Resilient Water climatic cycles in his 1952 novel East of Eden, which lives rivers and their Chinook salmon runs, which already were on the disregarded state mandates, pledging to pay whatever rates and fines Future “D on in the electronic signature of Russian Riverkeeper Don brink of extinction because of pumping and diversions that left came their way so that they could keep their lawns, hobby farms, McEnhill, reminds us that these extremes have always punctuated streams too shallow and warm to support them. Communities polo fields and golf courses green. life in California. But the recent historic drought that parched the that already lacked access to safe, affordable drinking water had to Media across the country began to pay attention to issues we California’s Waterkeepers lead the state broke the mold. The four years between fall 2011 and fall 2015 make do with bottled water doled out by the state, and many are had struggled to address for years, and, as a result, so did the public effort to make water conservation a were the driest since we started keeping records in 1895. Blistering still not connected to reliable water systems. The drought revealed and decision-makers. The New York Times and Washington Post way of life in that state. heat in 2014 and 2015 also reached all-time-high temperatures. how vulnerable California’s water supply is to increasingly severe regularly covered California’s water news, and outlets everywhere The wet years returned suddenly and forcefully this past winter, extremes associated with climate change. tuned in to watch State Water Board meetings. Waterkeepers shone By Sara Aminzadeh, with weeks of record-setting rain that caused general flooding In 2014, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of drought a spotlight on “water hogs” in press releases and other contacts with executive director, California Coastkeeper Alliance and overflowing reservoirs and threatened the integrity of the emergency, and subsequently required a 25 percent reduction in the media, and testified every month before the Water Board. We TODELUGE

38 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 39 Photo courtesy of E luzio n Photogra p hy Photo courtesy of E luzio n Photogra p hy Photo by Kira Redmond Photo by Mike Wondolowski emphasized the injustice of allowing wasteful uses when more than a million people in our state did not have access to safe and affordable drinking water. Are we still California had to stop taking water for granted and start using it more wisely, and Waterkeepers urgently advocated sustainable practices they had championed for years, beginning with individual households. Russian Riverkeeper Don McEnhill made public his own water bill each month to demonstrate how a family of four could achieve 20 percent conservation. His organization, in the state’s northwest, produced a water-conservation video entitled #Saveit. Orange County Coastkeeper, located in a region with some of the state’s highest per-capita residential water use, utilized its 2.5 acre Coastkeeper Garden, which photo by california department of water resources in a drought? showcases six different low-water, left, shasta lake during the historic drought when its waters were at an California-friendly alternative gardens, all-time low. right, since the drought rain barrels have become a fixture and ramped up their “Smartscape” throughout california. program for designing water-saving, drought-tolerant landscapes. Santa Barbara Channelkeeper partnered with several wineries and one brewery to convert their hearings, producing technical reports to demonstrate impacts, and, Coastkeeper Alliance also advocated for water-supply strategies Defense Council and other partners hope to pass a package of brewing barrels into beautiful oak rain-capture barrels (an idea of course, using the law. Orange County Coastkeeper filed several that are less costly than desalination. When the rains returned last bills this year that commits California to a permanent framework imported from Milwaukee Riverkeeper—who else?). suits to challenge and stop construction of a recklessly planned fall, the urgent need to conserve water faded, and residents began of conservation measures, including providing planning guidance In its car-centric locale, Los Angeles Waterkeeper launched facility in their region, and San Diego Coastkeeper filed suit to asking, “Are we still in a drought? Can we start watering our lawns for rural, urban and agricultural users to reflect permanent the “Dirty for the Drought” campaign, encouraging residents to require San Diego to recognize and account for the greenhouse-gas again?” In May 2016, Governor Brown issued an executive order conservation regulations, and directing state agencies to develop take a “Dirty Car Pledge” to not wash emissions caused by their newly built directing state agencies to “make conservation a California way of common standards for efficient indoor and outdoor water use their cars for 60 days, and broadcast facility – the largest in the Western life.” It was a promising sign of leadership, but we knew from our and for losses from leaks. the “Dirty for the Drought” slogan We worked with more Hemisphere. daily battle over emergency regulations that some water suppliers These standards would be used to create a water-use on eight billboards. Over 10,000 Amid widespread concerns about would be lobbying against a new permanent framework, arguing target for each urban water supplier based on local conditions Angelenos took the pledge, saving than 30 scientists water shortages, the policies and for exceptions, credits and adjustments in the name of “local such as population and climate. Each supplier would be able over 3 million gallons of water and practices that protect our environment control.” It was clear that advocates had to come up with ideas to to choose projects that provided the most bang for their warranting national-media attention. to pen a letter fell by the wayside. Farmers and transform permanently the way our state used water. buck, such as repairing leaks or promoting more water- But while some water users ranchers drilled and drew groundwater We ramped up our efforts to rally support for efficiency efficient landscapes. focused on conservation, others saw an to the governor from aquifers in unmeasured and and conservation, not only in times of emergency, but also as a Some worry that too much focus on urban water opportunity to leverage drought fears unregulated quantities. We also saw full-time strategy for a state challenged by increasingly extreme conservation distracts from larger, systemic water-supply to build large, expensive water supply urging permanent environmental laws violated under the conditions as a result of climate change. Studies suggest that issues, such as inordinate usage by Big Agriculture. Are we projects. We saw a rush of projects that conservation guise of emergency measures. California’s droughts are becoming longer and drier, and that encouraging token actions when wholesale reforms are needed? promised short-term relief, despite high California Coastkeeper Alliance precipitation is falling increasingly as rain instead of snow. Perhaps. California’s water system is still structured in such financial and/or environmental costs. reforms, noting: worked with local Waterkeepers to Climate change will severely reduce water-supply reliability a manner that conserved water doesn’t reach the ecosystems Proponents of ocean desalination, an track, watchdog and halt all attempts throughout the West. We worked with more than 30 scientists and people that need it most. But our policymakers and the expensive and energy-intensive process “business as usual to undermine the state’s environmental to pen a letter to the governor urging permanent conservation public are engaged in water issues like never before, and I that has long been considered an protections and push through bad reforms, noting: “business as usual is not an option; California believe something has shifted in the way that our state thinks option of last resort, sought to expedite is not an option; proposals, which became a four- simply does not have enough water to support our old ways.” We about and values water. It’s a palpable cultural change that can approval of proposed facilities, applying year game of whack-a-mole in the joined with the building industry and businesses in Silicon Valley spark further and deeper reforms. political pressure on government California simply legislature and state agencies. Our to demonstrate the potential for California to meet water needs We know that, as our climate changes, our droughts and agencies. A previously mothballed work led to the adoption of California’s through homegrown innovation and technology. deluges will continue to break records. This is our new normal. plant in Santa Barbara was scheduled does not have enough first comprehensive policy to regulate On April 7th the governor declared the California drought Or rather, there is no more “normal.” Yet during the devastating to restart this summer, at an estimated ocean desalination, establishing was over in all but four Central Valley communities. Importantly, drought we have just endured, Californians, supported by their cost of $70 million. water to support environmental safeguards such as Governor Brown reaffirmed his commitment to make Waterkeepers, have proven that we can rally, and even thrive, in Southern California Waterkeepers our old ways.” a requirement that all new facilities conservation a way of life with new water-conservation targets, extraordinary circumstances. W have worked tirelessly to fend off include intake pipes beneath the ocean drought-planning and prohibition of water-wasting practices. this aggressive push, organizing local floor to reduce harm to marine life. California Coastkeeper Alliance, the Natural Resources

40 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 41 hao xin demonstrates water-quality testing to student volunteers at yinzhou middle school. Photo b y J ia nL ie Z he n g ( Y i nZ hou D aily News) ecently I met with environmental NGO in the China’s Qiantang River province. R Waterkeeper Hao Xin Over the past decade, RIVER at the Massachusetts Institute a conversation Green Zhejiang has set of Technology in Cambridge up an impressive reach of to discuss his work restoring programs, including ones for and protecting Zhejiang with hao xin, environmental monitoring Province’s environment and promotion, ecological and its principal river, the community-development, Qiantang. Hao Xin is also the qiantang river nature education, and vice-president and executive environmental and climate- director of Qiantang change research, and it has River Waterkeeper’s parent waterkeeper been honored with a wide organization, Green Zhejiang, array of environmental an NGO that has become one accolades and awards. That’s of the most influential water- by nathan senge a lot of success, but when advocacy groups in China. Hao and his colleagues first If it were a country, became involved in water China’s Zhejiang Province, advocacy as university home to 55 million people, undergraduates, they faced would rank 24th on the awareness and assess the establish an environmental a daunting lack of funding. world’s population list. level of water-pollution organization immediately They were, however, far The metropolitan area of in the region. They called upon his return to university. from short of ideas, and they its largest city, Hangzhou, their 36-day, 2,000-plus- Connecting to a growing realized that their greatest alone houses 21 million kilometers ride “Millennium network of civilian and challenge would be to achieve people. Prior to Hao Xin’s Environmental Protection professional allies, the deep, long-term systemic involvement, it suffered from Cycling” and adopted the organization was established change in the region’s some of the worst water motto “I dream; I do.” They in 2002, and grew steadily environmental practices. pollution in the country. found many places where thereafter. It was first Xin remembered those early Hao Xin’s journey as an pollution had reached registered as a municipal- days and contrasted them to environmental activist began staggering levels. Hao recalls level civil-society group, the present. 17 years ago when he was a many rivers “with piles of the Hangzhou Eco-Culture garbage visibly floating in Association. In 2013 it first-year environmental- Hao Xin: “We knew that, science undergraduate at black, foul-smelling water.” received provincial-level if we could not clean the Zhejiang University. He was He was shocked, and, joined status as Green Zhejiang river and make villages more 18 years old, and had the idea by one of his university (GZJ). Professor Ruan, who beautiful, all of our efforts to rally a few fellow students instructors, Professor Junhua received the seventh National would be wasted. to bicycle with him around Ruan, and encouraged Earth Award in 2003, is “Today Green Zhejiang the province for a month by people he had met on currently the president of is in a state of tremendous to promote environmental his journey, he set out to what has become the largest growth as an organization. near Hangzhou where there was a rubber Our network is extensive in the social sector, and we have H.X.: “The idea came to us originally 12 years ago, when I critical need in the United States for a factory. The village was one of those pushed successfully forward on such key issues as the sorting first met Mr. Ma Jun, the director of the Institute of Public platform like this. of waste. The changes we have made already have fused one and Environmental Affairs (IPE). The goal was to make a typical villages where there has been a lot of rapid economic development voice out of the more than 50 million people in Zhejiang map of China’s water pollution, and I was put in charge of its H.X.: “The new head of the EPA is a after the reform and opening up, by Province.” technical development. climate-change denier, so there must which I mean the Chinese movement of “Overnight it caught attention all around the world—Mr. be grassroots activity, and it must be big issues ‘Socialism with Chinese characteristics’ Like many provinces in China, Zhejiang has seen tremendous Ma Jun was put on the cover of Time. It was then I realized dispersed throughout the country to take that was initiated in 1978 by Deng economic growth in recent years, and this has helped spread people were extremely concerned about the geographical advantage of all these people working Xiaoping. Basically, after this point, awareness of the need for ecological restoration. location of these ‘pollution spots.’ If people knew they were diligently on their own local issue. must be many farmers did not cultivate their in their backyard, they took to caring about them. They were They must have a way to communicate land anymore and now worked in H. X.: “It is interesting to note the relationship between one’s scared of what was close by—they cared less about what with one another, and coordinate their made local. small businesses. These small factories income and the degree of environmental pollution. The more was far away. The map helped them see that these issues are efforts.” “ brought heavy pollution to the village, income you have, the more stuff you have, and the more indeed very close by—it renders something lofty and abstract and the rubber factory was a typical you tend to waste. But then a point is reached where the like ‘climate change’ local and visceral. N.S.: “Are there any qualities in yourself a global case. When you got close to the village, relationship inverts. That is, as income rises past a certain “Initially, this map was a one-way thing. It reflected the that you have noticed have changed you could smell its pungent odor. So I point, one has enough income to take measures to lower one’s latest government-fed information, and we published it. But throughout the course of your journey?” environmental impact. then we realized this would be a much more powerful tool reported the operator of the factory concern to the Environmental Protection “Moreover, expectations for environmental protection if it became a platform by which everyone could report on H.X.: “Seventeen years ago, when I Department. also have increased. Twenty years ago, people literally would nearby instances of pollution themselves. So when I studied organized the bike ride, it was simply “And I don’t know how, but ask, ‘What does it mean to protect the environment?’ Now it’s GIS at Clark, I learned about the power of open-source because I loved cycling. But in the 17 like climate somehow he knew it was me who had a topic they discuss over dinner. geographic information, about updating this map together, as years since then, I have realized that done it. So he tracked me down, and we “I’ll tell you a funny story. Four years ago, there was a a community, in real time. This technology was successfully I am not just living for myself. I work talked, and we actually talked very well. businessman in Zhejiang Province, a private entrepreneur piloted in 2010 in Haiti in the midst of the great earthquake. with a group of people with a unified change must We were both born in the eighties and and a member of Green Zhejiang, who went back to his Volunteers poured into Haiti and needed to know where vision, to make deep change possible are of a similar age, and we spoke civilly hometown and saw garbage everywhere cluttering the people needed the most help. In response, a GIS-based for the world. I feel self-actualized and had a very nice conversation. river. So he offered 200,000 renminbi to the head of the system called ‘Ushahidi’ was created and applied.” through this work. And consciously, or become visible

“A year-and-a-half later, I supported Environmental Protection Department to go and take a unconsciously, I have become a leader him in achieving a ‘policy-related swim in the river. The man politely declined. People are Xin adopted its design in making the Qiantang River for these people. When you become a shut-down.’ In China, a policy-related really starting to care about this issue.” map interactive, allowing citizens to connect to the leader, you take on the responsibility of on a human shut-down is very different from an Environmental Protection Department, which in turn uses helping more and more people. You are ‘environmental-related shut-down.’ The Nathan Senge: “What would you say to the people in the the map to find pollution spots and attend to them. The not persuading them, but softly leading

scale, in former involves financial compensation; environmental movement in the United States, especially unpredictability of climate change makes such online them, helping them change naturally the latter does not. After this happened, given that you conducted your graduate studies in the maps particularly valuable. in the way they wish to change already. this man became one of our key U.S. at Clark University?” For instance, lots of my friends used one’s ‘own partners, and he is now the vice-director H.X.: “This kind of dispersed grassroots to be environmental polluters, but I of one of the local environmental- H.X.: “Big issues must be made local. A global concern environmentalist activity is essential in addressing got to know them through reporting “ protection organizations we work with like climate change must become visible on a human our modern climatic situation, for indeed core issues them to the Environmental Protection backyard,’ to promote rural ecological protection scale, in one’s ‘own backyard,’ where it can be seen, like river pollution can crop up anywhere, in one of i dream; do Department, and we have since become and environmental education around smelled and felt.” many forms. One cannot underestimate the power partners in supporting environmental the region. of the citizenry. The power inherent in all of us protection collectively.” where it This is why he and his group have taken advantage functioning as live and local climate reporters “I discover more and more that you must get to know the heart of your of the extensive training he received at Clark engaged in a collective endeavor of protecting This is a common theme in Hao’s challenger. So that you may empathize, in geographic information systems (GIS), and and cleaning the environment we live in is journey—transforming polluters into can be seen, and you may merge.” W created the Live Water Systems map for the everything. There is capital power in citizens supporters, a process that is facilitated

Qiantang River, which was based on the acting on behalf of their local issues. That in China when polluters are allowed Nathan Senge is a Systems Story Author nationwide China Water Pollution Map. It is how change mounts on a global scale. It to shut down their operations without smelled and for the Academy for Systems Change. can be accessed on any smart phone with does not come from the top. People on the financial penalty. In fact, Hao often He holds a summa cum laude B.A. in the corresponding mobile application, ground need technological platforms works to ensure that they receive Chemistry from Dartmouth College, providing fast real-time updates on by which they can do this. And that is government subsidies when they make felt. with a minor in Physics, and a M.A. in sources of water pollution throughout what we provide.” that choice. Zhejiang Province. Journalism and Media Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Hao believes that there is a Hao Xin: “I’ll tell you another story. Three years ago, I went to a small town

44 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 45 In one day, then, Commissioner Goldmark acted Waterkeepers to block the shipment of enough coal to bury an area the size of Manhattan six-feet deep. in the Pacific Whack-a-Mole Northwest Resistance erhaps the most notable aspect of the demise of the Cherry Point and Longview win the fight P proposals was that they were the last two remaining coal-export terminal proposals out of a series of six — all put forward in rapid succession against coal when coal demand in the U.S. plunged after 2008. For Columbia Riverkeeper Brett VandenHeuvel, photo by jamie francis, the oregonian. Goldmark’s decision was a culminating victory

l trains in a six-year campaign to stop coal trains and export. terminals from invading the Pacific Northwest. “It’s been a long time,” says Brett with a laugh. by Tyee Bridge “Longview was the first proposed terminal. I have emails on that going back to July 2010.” As coal-fired power plants were shuttered and the fracking boom brought natural gas prices he Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve— down over the past decade, coal companies got Xwe’chieXen in the language of the local into a panic to export to Asia, where demand T Lummi Nation—is home to endangered was surging. Export coal prices climbed for almost herring, salmon, orca whales and long-tailed ducks. two years after 2009, and suddenly, coal-terminal Bounded by sheer sandy cliffs and cobbled beaches, proposals were popping up like mushrooms all it covers about seven miles of Washington State’s over the Northwest: Longview, Cherry Point, Coos north coast. And it just became bigger. In January, Bay, Grays Harbour and others. In 2015, American

e Lin just days before his retirement, Peter Goldmark, natural-gas-fired plants produced as much Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, electricity as coal for the first time in history. expanded the Cherry Point reserve to include 45 “I remember early on,” recalls Brett “people acres of tidelands and aquatic habitat. On the same were saying to us: ‘This is just whack-a-mole, what day he rejected a requested sublease for a loading you’re doing opposing these terminals.’ They’d dock on the Columbia River in Longview. say, ‘Why are you bothering to fight these one at Goldmark summed up his day’s work in a a time? We need some federal energy policy that’s press release: “These decisions are in the best long- going to take care of this.’ And our answer all term interest of Puget Sound, the Columbia River the time was, ‘Well, number one, we don’t have and the people of Washington. [The decisions] are a federal energy policy. And we probably aren’t informed by years of study and consideration, and going to have one any time soon that is going to represent the best way to protect and conserve our protect us from coal exports.’ state’s waterways.” “Our second argument was that if we were

Endof But neither of these decisions sounds all that able to knock some of these proposals off, it would earth-shaking until you know some background. buy us time. The markets change, the technology Those 45 acres at Cherry Point had been set aside changes, to where there are more renewables for the Gateway Pacific Terminal, a coal-transfer available. So some of what seem like impossible facility projected to ship 48 million metric fights can, maybe two, three years down the line, tons of coal per year out of the aquatic reserve. be won. If you’re able to hold it off, it makes room opposite page, protesters That would have made it the largest coal- for more good things, like renewables, to become against the proposed coal- export terminal on the West Coast. In turn, the more competitive.” terminals rallied throughout Longview loading-dock had been requested for the pacific northwest, And that was pretty much what happened. including dr. patrick o’herron another proposed coal terminal, slated to ship Pacific Rim coal prices peaked at about $142 of oregon physicians for social out an additional 44 million tons of coal from the per metric ton in 2011 then plunged to $51 per responsibility, bottom right. Powder River Basin in Wyoming. ton by early 2016. Public opposition delayed To give some perspective: eight million construction as the market shifted — possibly th e metric tons of coal would pile as high as a saving communities and businesses from losing 43-story building covering about 19 city blocks. even more money when the market evaporated.

photos by alex milan tracy.

Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 47 for northw e st coa PROPOSED COAL TERMINALS

PULLED PLANS The economics of coal-pricing, which thrust major While some environmental threats are invisible, Waterkeepers coal producers like Arch and Peabody into Chapter or underwater, coal trains and terminals have hard- PERMIT DENIED Comment 11 filings, definitely undermined the business case to-hide footprints. The westbound trains haul over a TRAIN ROUTES for export, but well-coordinated public opposition hundred cars each and reach as long as a mile. And, COAL BEARING SHIPS Bart Mihailovich, former Spokane Riverkeeper, is now Organizer, Eastern also played a major role in keeping terminals out of despite dampening surfactants applied to the exposed fraser surrey U.S. for Waterkeeper Alliance and a veteran of the Northwest coal battle: Washington and Oregon. coal, up to 500 pounds of coal-dust can be lost from cherry point whitefish What lessons can Waterkeepers and other each train-car in a single trip. Some communities seatTle I hope at some point Brett and his staff at Columbia Riverkeeper write community leaders take from the Northwest’s could look forward to 18 open-car coal trains a day spokane a book about some of the tactics they used. What they pulled off – and years of resistance? passing through their backyards if terminal projects olympia missoula not just them, but a whole lot of people — in terms of effective strategies, were approved. helena with communication and group action—has just been incredible. “A lot of the strongest concern was for public long view In 2010 the coal train issue in Spokane wasn’t on anyone’s radar. The health. People didn’t want these trains rolling Yet it was very visible, and it affected many places all along the route — Thin through their communities,” says Brett. “It brought cities like Missoula, Sandpoint, Spokane, where train traffic is a fact out doctors, faith leaders, businesses, ranchers, Green of life. So it was relatively easy to build up non-conventional allies, farmers. We set record numbers for public hearings like local emergency response people, who were willing to say, “We’re Line and public testimony.” simply not ready for this increase in train traffic. It’s very dangerous, In the case of the Longview terminal, which COOS BAY and lives could be lost if people are stuck behind a track waiting for an was the first of the six to be proposed and the last to olumbia Riverkeeper was one of the emergency response.” be refused, the Washington Department of Ecology organizers of the Power Past Coal Then there were allies from the passenger-rail companies and from received 257,000 public comments. C (PPC) movement in the Northwest, a agriculture – grain growers and apple shippers – saying, “We don’t want our Legal challenges and engagement with coalition that engaged the public regarding the COAL TRANSPORTATION tracks clogged with coal trains. This is a commodity that’s not helping anyone regulators were the second factor that led to dangers and drawbacks of coal exports. PPC in the U.S.; it’s going to be shipped to China and India. We’re the local economic success, says Brett. “We had a strong and aggressive IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST was organized by Columbia Riverkeeper and a drivers, who are putting money and revenue back into this economy.” legal component to this campaign, where we few other core organizations, including North So it wasn’t just this hippy green thing. It was a lot of people saying, challenged permits when necessary, and pushed extraction, we’ll continue to see tribes lead the fight to defend their Sound Baykeeper, Puget Soundkeeper, Climate “Let’s look at our region in a more realistic way. What kind of community the state and federal agencies to take a hard look treaty rights, and protect and manage their lands and waters for Solutions, the National Wildlife Federation and do we want? Do we want train traffic shipping grain or apples or at these projects. We evaluated very closely all of future generations.” Spokane Riverkeeper. The coalition served as a aerospace industry parts, or do we want to put everything behind coal?’” the permits and approvals they would need, and central support to communities opposing coal — we designed the campaigns around those approvals. providing facts, updates and strategy. Puget Soundkeeper Chris Wilke and his organization won a legal battle That combination of community organizing and Oil “We created it very early on with the idea that in 2016 to get coal-by-rail shipper BNSF to pay for clean-up of waterways strategic legal work was really important.” we would be much stronger if we coordinated our Trains contaminated by coal, and to study the possibility of covering their train Regional tribes and tribal organizations efforts,” says Brett. “Many, many groups, from the coal cars. Puget Soundkeeper also achieved tightened restrictions of oil- throughout the Northwest were also crucial in Ahead mines in Montana and Wyoming to the coast, worked refinery effluent. Here Chris talks about the looming threat of oil trains: holding the line against the trains and terminals. together very closely.” These included the Yakama Nation, the Nez Perce rett VandenHeuvel notes that the oil industry is much The collaboration was massive. The PPC website In the coal case with BNSF we were arguing that every car of every train Tribal Executive Committee, the Columbia River stronger than the coal industry, and is “pushing very hard” to notes that 200 regional, community and national discharged coal into every waterway that it crossed. That doesn’t happen Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Lummi Nation. B move oil trains to West Coast export terminals. “The drilling organizations were on board, and that “over 55 cities, with oil trains. What we have with them is high risk and a very high “They all had unique facts and unique regulatory boom in the West, trying to get that oil to the coast— it’s the same counties and ports, close to 600 health professionals, consequence from any disaster. Derailments happen, and oil explodes processes,” says Brett. “The tribes played an incredibly situation as coal,” he says. 220 faith leaders, 500 local businesses (many from and flames jump three stories high. It burns for days and spills into important role in standing up for clean water, salmon One of the largest new crude-by-rail terminal proposals is the smaller rail-line communities), and over 160 elected waterways, and in some cases people lose their lives. and treaty rights.” Tesoro Savage facility in Vancouver, Washington on the Columbia officials” had raised concerns about coal exports. We participated with Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates In Oregon, acknowledgement of a traditional River. The 42-acre site would receive up to 360,000 barrels of oil per The Seattle-based think-tank Sightline Institute has across the country in documenting aging rail infrastructure for tribal fishery was key in the Department of State day to be loaded onto giant tankers. According to the advocacy group dubbed British Columbia, Washington and Oregon Waterkeeper Alliance’s 2015 “Deadly Crossing” report. About 40 percent Lands’ refusal in 2014 to permit a coal terminal at Friends of the Columbia Gorge, the terminal would be the largest in “The Thin Green Line,” – a “geographic accident” of 250 rail crossings that Waterkeepers examined showed obvious signs the Port of Morrow on the Columbia River. Similarly, the country and would send four more trains down the Columbia that placed the traditionally progressive West of disrepair and possible instability. We saw 25 crossings on Puget Sound the federal treaty that ensures the fishing rights of the Gorge each day, each carrying “millions of gallons of explosive Bakken Coast between North American fossil-fuel deposits where the footings were severely eroded. And the federal government has Lummi Nation was the basis for the Army Corps of crude.” For Brett and others who have spent six years fighting coal trains, (Powder River coal, Bakken shale oil, Alberta tar a limited ability to order repairs on some of these crossings because they Engineers’ rejection of the $700 million coal terminal it’s a case of deja vu. sands, numerous natural gas fields) and commodity are privately owned and railroads are the primary agency in charge of at Cherry Point. That decision paved the way for “The good thing is we’ve built some pretty big, powerful lists, and markets in Asia. maintaining them. Commissioner Goldmark to return the aquatic local leaders and communities are much more aware of what’s going on Power Past Coal demonstrated that this thin Last fall the U.S. lifted a 40-year ban on export of crude oil. Right acreage to the reserve. with their ports,” VandenHeuvel says. There’s a lot more scrutiny on line could get thick fairly quickly. When asked how now the market is poor because of the glut of oil, but if gas goes up “The Corps may not permit a project that some of these decisions, and they’re not happening behind closed doors the coalition grew to include such broad community to $4 or $5 a gallon, you better believe they’ll be wanting to export abrogates treaty rights,” the commander of its as easily.” support, Brett says that the first factor was “just a huge more and more of it, and you’ll have more trains, more impact on Seattle District, Colonel John Buck, told a local This seems to be the case. In 2016 the State of Washington received public outcry against coal export. While there was a communities, and higher risks. newspaper as the Lummi celebrated the decision. over 289,000 comments regarding the proposed crude-by-rail site. lot of organizing, much of it happened organically. “I think the coal export issue has actually made the oil fights— Lummi Chairman Tim Ballew added, in a Tyee Bridge is the former Fraser Riverkeeper in British Columbia. His People stood up to protect what they love. Strip- well, ‘easier’ is probably not the right word— but, you know, easier,” written statement: “Treaty rights shape our region writings have received four National Magazine Awards and seven mines and coal trains were a very visceral threat that Brett concludes. “These kinds of proposals aren’t going away. We’re and nation. As tribes across the United States Western Magazine Awards. He is the co-author, with Joel Solomon, of people could see, and understand, and didn’t like.” definitely still fighting them.” W Pe op le didn’t want th e s trains ro ll ing through th e ir co mm uniti s, I t brought out doctors, faith le ad e rs, busin ss s, ranch far me rs. face pressures from development and resource the 2017 book “The Clean Money Revolution.”

48 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 49 New Hampshire’s Great Bay

A Little Estuary Photos b y E co Photogra p hy.

with Big Problems

By Laurie O’Reilly

With its breathtaking panoramas and diverse habitats of salt future uncertain. Pollution is pushing its waters toward a tipping marsh, mudflats, rocky shores and eelgrass meadows, the Great point, degrading its health and its habitats. But prodding and Bay estuary is a vital part of the landscape of New Hampshire’s persistence from the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper have raised seacoast region and southern Maine. Extending inland from the local awareness of the bay’s troubles and roused action to resolve mouth of the Piscataqua River – and including Little Bay, Great Bay, them – offering hope for this small but mighty estuary. and numerous rivers and tidal creeks – the 13,000-acre estuary is a For centuries, Great Bay was New Hampshire’s most bountiful critical resource for fish, birds and other wildlife. It is also a beautiful source of oysters, until, in 1993, its oyster population was virtually destination for boating, fishing, and hiking and, for many who live wiped out almost overnight by two parasites. A thousand acres of here, a place for contemplation, oysters was reduced to just 50, and while it once took the oyster The Great Bay estuary’s economic and cultural histories have population two-to-three days to filter the entire volume of water been as impactful on the region as its natural endowments. Its in the bay, it now took the remnant population a year and a half. waters – once plied by the famous wind-driven Gundalow barges – Though several dedicated local groups have undertaken efforts to powered sawmills and tanneries, and its salt hay was once harvested bring oysters back, the continued presence of parasites, coupled for food and bedding for farm animals. While the shores of Great with the fact that the historic beds are covered in sediment, make it Bay and Little Bay remain largely undeveloped (in no small part due unlikely that the population will ever fully recover. to the successful effort in the 1970s to stop Aristotle Onassis from Then the eelgrass, the cornerstone of the estuary’s ecosystem, constructing a massive refinery there), portions of the Piscataqua began to decline, as it has in estuaries across the world over the River are lined with power plants, oil terminals, and other industrial sites. last two decades. When healthy, this sub-tidal plant grows in thick More than 400,000 people now live in the 52 cities and towns meadows, providing essential habitat for fish and crustaceans, within the watershed, and as the population has grown and the producing oxygen, anchoring sediments, improving water-quality, region become more developed, the pressures on this remarkable and sequestering carbon even more effectively than the trees in resource have intensified. Today Great Bay is in jeopardy, its our forests.

the great bay estuary is richly endowed with wetlands and woods. and New Hopes

50 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 51 In Great Bay, according to Dr. Fred Short, world- three-fold: to safeguard the long-term health of the estuary by renowned seagrass expert and professor at the University of finding ways to reduce pollution, to keep a watchful eye and guard New Hampshire’s Jackson Estuarine Laboratory, 2,900 acres of against illegal and harmful activities, and, most importantly, to fairly healthy eelgrass in Great Bay have shrunk over the past build a stronger voice for the estuary by educating and mobilizing two decades to 1,500 acres. This dramatic drop seems to have local citizens to protect it. stabilized in the last three years, but acreage is not the whole In any given week, Barnum could be found tabling at a local story. The eelgrass has also lost biomass, and what has been event, attending a community supper, or giving a presentation thinned out has been replaced by macroalgae, such as “sea at a library or civic-group meeting. He conferred regularly with lettuce,” which do not provide the same important habitat and town leaders, planning boards and partner organizations. During other benefits to the local ecosystem. Using 1996 as a baseline, the summer he took local officials, reporters and volunteers out Dr. Short estimates that nearly four-fifths of the eelgrass biomass on the water so that they could experience Great Bay’s beauty in Great Bay that forms its natural habitat has been reduced from and better understand its fragile health. And he contributed op- 1,630 metric tons to 348. ed pieces and a bi-monthly column about current issues in the bay to local newspapers. In short, he aimed to Barnum’s mission was three-fold: help people see Great Bay the way he does: as an extraordinary, vibrant and vital place that 1. safeguard the long-term health urgently needed their advocacy before it was Photo b y E coPhotogra p hy of the estuary by finding ways to too late. And people listened. Barnum convened a left, waterkeeper jeff barnum in the waterkeeper patrol boat. and, above, barnum reviews plans for the 2016 great bay kayak reduce pollution, group of more than 30 local volunteers – cleanup with team leaders from seven rivers paddling, who “Clean Water Advocates for Great Bay” – who helped to organize the annual event. help to keep the public’s attention focused on In 2007, realizing that increasing pollution was coinciding Great Bay by turning out to town meetings and hearings where with this devastating loss of eelgrass, the Conservation Law issues affecting the bay’s health are on the table. In 2015, he Photo b y C heryl S e n ter courtesy of N HCF Foundation (CLF), a New-England-wide environmental- worked with Timberland and Seven Rivers Paddling to organize advocacy organization, used the Clean Water Act to leverage annual cleanups. Since then, more than two dozen volunteers times. He has set out to educate them as well as managers of lifetime drinking-water exposure to PFCs from 600 parts per regulation of nitrogen in the estuary. The U.S. Environmental have taken to their kayaks and removed enough debris from local garden and hardware stores about the right ways to fertilize trillion to 70, Barnum, CLF and others are concerned that Protection Agency began to focus sharply on reducing nitrogen the bay to fill more than three dumpsters. These residents learn and the harm that can result when the stuff is misused. He has even this much lower standard does not sufficiently protect pollution from sewage-treatment plants, while heading off about this remarkable resource and serve it at the same time. also worked closely with community activists and the program’s public health strong pushback from a small group of municipal officials about “The estuary is right in our backyard,” says Barnum, “yet Clean Water Advocates to support local fertilizer ordinances. Stormwater magnifies the problem, carrying PFCs, the costs of upgrading plants, and about whether nitrogen was many people haven’t gotten out on the water, and don’t “It’s all about educating people to become part of the nitrogen and other pollutants from the property into three causing harm in the estuary at all. understand it needs help. My job is to help people connect solution,” says Barnum. “The job of cleaning up our waters creeks that flow into the “We’ve all heard of climate denial. Here, addressing a with our local waters. It’s the best way to engage them and estuary. In January, CLF pollutant that has had oxygen-depleting effects in estuaries keep them involved.” filed a lawsuit against across the globe, we were dealing with nitrogen denial,” says Tom Perhaps Barnum is most dedicated to raising awareness 3. and, most importantly, to build a stronger the Pease Development Irwin, director of CLF’s New Hampshire office. “That’s when about the damage caused by nitrogen pollution – and how the Authority for its failure we realized we needed a Waterkeeper. We had been successful solution to that problem lies very much in the hands of the people voice for the estuary by educating and to comply with the getting the regulators to take action, but we also needed local and communities surrounding Great Bay. Sewage-treatment mobilizing local citizens to protect it. Clean Water Act’s citizens to speak up for clean water and the investments that plants are the watershed’s largest controllable source of nitrogen municipal stormwater- would get us there.” management program. CLF was well aware of the Waterkeeper belongs to us all, and once people understand the challenges, Elected officials and local citizens also have organized to model, having established the Lake Champlain most are happy to do their part.” introduce legislation, push regulators to act, and encourage 2. Lakekeeper program in Vermont in 2002. By keep a watchful eye and This is progress, to be sure, but Barnum knows that the fight responsible parties to actually be responsible. combining its legal and policy expertise with guard against illegal and to curb this bay-killing pollution is far from over and that the Ultimately, that is what the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper the proven effectiveness of the worldwide keys to recovery will be persistence and a continuing willingness is all about – working with and mobilizing community members Waterkeeper model, CLF realized it could help harmful activities in communities to invest in clean water. And new threats to the and partners to protect and restore the estuary. Barnum knows build a local movement committed to Great health of our waters and the public are emerging. that no single voice will ever be enough to save Great Bay, and Bay’s protection, and it launched the Great Bay- The Great Bay estuary wraps around three sides of the that success thus far has come through listening, convening, Piscataqua Waterkeeper program in 2012. redeveloped Pease Air Force Base, which closed in 1991. guiding, and being guided by the volunteers, partner Jeff Barnum was a natural fit for the role of Waterkeeper. pollution. Small though it is, the estuary receives discharges Research has recently tied perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, organizations, legislators, and town officials whose energy As a recreational fisherman along Great Bay and the Piscataqua from 18 such plants. Yet there’s good news. Major treatment which were used at the base for fire-fighting, to soft-tissue and dedication are preserving and restoring Great Bay for the River, Barnum had witnessed firsthand the effects of pollution, plants are now being upgraded in seven local cities and towns, cancers. PFCs at Pease have contaminated three wells that present – and for tomorrow. W including the dramatic loss of eelgrass habitat, and, during his each of which has entered into a regulatory agreement with the supply drinking water to the coastal city of Portsmouth. One time as president of the Coastal Conservation Association EPA, or is replacing its outdated plant with a new one that must of these is closed and the other two have been retrofitted Laurie O’Reilly is the chief content officer at the Constitution Law of New Hampshire, he had focused on the health of the state’s substantially reduce nitrogen discharges. with activated carbon filters. The chemicals also have been Foundation, and is based in Boston, Mass. estuarine ecosystems. One of his key accomplishments was the Now Barnum is also focusing on another major source of found migrating from the site of a former landfill nearby that Jeff Barnum retired as Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper in May. establishment of an oyster-shell-recycling program, in which shells nitrogen: local homes and businesses that overuse fertilizer in received waste from Pease. Barnum has conducted two rounds Melissa Paley was named the new Baykeeper in that same month. from area homes and restaurants were used to establish new oyster their quests for perfect green lawns. Most homeowners rarely of water-sampling that show high levels of PFCs in a brook She brings extensive environmental and communication beds in Great Bay, benefiting its water-quality and habitat. test their soils to see how much fertilizer is necessary, if any at near the landfill. expertise to the job along with longstanding connections to Barnum’s mission as Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper was all. So they use too much, often in the wrong places, at the wrong While the EPA recently lowered its health-advisory for the watershed.

52 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 2 Volume 13, Issue 2 Waterkeeper Magazine 53 IN MEMORIAM ROBERT H. BOYLE

FOUNDER OF THE WATERKEEPER® MOVEMENT

1928 - 2017

Photo courtesy of Richard Harbus

54 Waterkeeper Magazine Volume 13, Issue 1 Volume 13, Issue 1 Waterkeeper Magazine 55