About

Who is Altamaha Riverkeeper?

The Altamaha Riverkeeper is a grassroots organization dedicated to the protection, defense and restoration of Georgia’s biggest river—the Altamaha— including its tributaries the Ocmulgee, the Oconee and the Ohoopee.

What Does Altamaha Riverkeeper Do?

The Altamaha Riverkeeper aggressively monitors pollution and polluters throughout the watershed through a program of water sampling and analysis. We also monitor land-based activities that impact the health of the river including forestry and agriculture practices, wetlands destruction and development.

How Does Altamaha Riverkeeper Do It?

In addition to the watershed-monitoring program, the Altamaha Riverkeeper responds to citizen complaints about pollution. We identify locations where chemical and biological pollutants are discharged into waterways. Through water testing and site inspection, we determine whether these problems are in violation of state, local or federal law. Our first step in all these efforts is to alert authorities to the problem and work with them to reduce or eliminate the problem. In cases where the regulatory agencies refuse to act, we will take action to rally public support and if necessary, resort to legal action. If legal action fails to adequately address the issue, generally when the law on the issue has no teeth, we consider working on policy and legislative changes.