Be a Riverkeeper
October 3, 2020
COVID-19 UPDATE – Catawba Riverkeeper is taking several precautions and making some adjustments for this event due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Catawba Riversweep is by nature an outdoor, small group event. We believe we can conduct a fun and safe event by following state guidelines in place currently in North and South Carolina. To ensure all participants remain safe, we will implement appropriate social distancing, sanitization, and protection methods for our sites. All volunteers will be required to wear masks when not able to social distance (i.e. registration and trash collection). Boats being used for on the lakes clean-ups will be limited to friends and family of the boat owners only. No volunteers will be allowed to board a boat of someone they do not have a close prior relationship with to avoid any potential spread. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to take these limitations into consideration when selecting the site that is best for you.
What is Riversweep?
For decades, citizens around the Catawba River Basin have been cleaning up their river, lakes, creeks, and streams to make sure their waterways look beautiful, are safe for swimming and fishing, and are free of pollution.
The Catawba Riversweep is one day a year when citizens from all over the Catawba-Wateree River Basin come together to clean up on the same day. October 3, 2020 will be a day when thousands of neighbors come together at dozens of sites from Lake James to Lake Wateree and everywhere in between. It will be a day of hard work, fun, fellowship, and action!
For the past 17 years, in partnership with the Lake Wylie Marine Commission, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation has been holding an annual Lake Wylie Riversweep. The dedicated volunteer leaders of this event have generously shared their knowledge with many other community groups across the basin who wanted to start their own Riversweeps!
Beginning in 2020, all of these local organizing groups are coming together to show their communities the impact that collaboration and cooperation can have on the health and cleanliness of our River. At dozens of sites across 26 counties in North and South Carolina, thousands of volunteers will take 3 hours out of their busy lives to make a positive impact on their community, their environment, and their drinking water.
With just 3 short hours of your time, you too can say “I AM A RIVERKEEPER!” You can register as an individual, a business, a school, a church, a neighborhood, or a group of friends today and be a part of the largest river cleanup in the Southeast.
Click on a location link below to find a cleanup site near you
Charlotte Area Creeks and Streams
Volunteer
Do you want to join over a thousand volunteers to help clean up the Catawba River, her lakes, creeks, and streams on October 3, 2020? Sign up as an individual, group, business, or family at our volunteer page.
Donate
It takes support of all kinds to clean up the Catawba River Basin. If you or your organization would like to support Riversweep with cash, services, or goods, visit our donate page.
FAQs
We’ve been doing cleanups for decades and we’ve answered a lot of questions over the years. Visit our FAQ page to get the most common questions answered and to find links about getting the rest of them answered.
Participating in Riversweep made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than me.
– Riversweep Volunteer
Volunteer Today
Sign up as an individual, a family, a neighborhood, a church, a business, or with a group of friends.
Our Partners
Many Non-Profit and For Profit organizations join forces to make the Catawba Riversweep a reality. Check out a list of of all of our vital partners.
Can we count on you?
Help clean up Lake James, Lake Rhodiss, Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals, Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake, Lake Wylie, The Catawba River, Charlotte Creeks, Fishing Creek Reservoir, Great Falls, Stumpy Pond, Lake Wateree. You can help the environment and have fun with your friends and neighbors!