september 2026 NEWSLETTER
HAPPY october!
This is last bit of season when we all use our waterways the most. Tennessee Riverkeeper cannot do this difficult work without you!
WATERKEEPER ORGANIZATIONS MEET IN ECUADOR
Approximately 100 Waterkeeper organizations from around the world attended our conference this year in Quito, Ecuador. Our host was the local Guayllabamba Waterkeeper, Patricio Chambers and his family. We are grateful to connect with so many Waterkeeper groups from the South and across the water planet!
This highlight video, filmed and edited by David Whiteside, has more than 180,000 views on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.
WHAT'S IN HUNTSVILLE'S DRINKING WATER?
Some Huntsville residents say their water tastes different. Huntsville Utilities explains what’s behind the change and why it is not related to the PFAS lawsuit.
This video also has more than 100,000 views across social media platforms.
340 POUNDS OF TRASH REMOVED FROM DECATUR
His shirt says "The Only Bank I Trust Is A River Bank."
In a recent cleanup effort, Tennessee Riverkeeper volunteers collected a whopping 340 pounds of trash from the banks of Wilson Morgan Lake and Clark Spring Branch, a tributary of the Tennessee River in Decatur.
This cleanup was a joint effort between Tennessee Riverkeeper, Model Environment and Bryan Animal Clinic.
Tennessee Riverkeeper founder David Whiteside said this area of Clark Spring Branch near the Tennessee River is “a collection zone for garbage.”
He said often, litter that gets thrown out on streets will flow into creeks and rivers after rain events via drainage systems. This creates a situation where waterways receive a plethora of plastics. This garbage negatively impacts water quality and becomes a visible eyesore.
“These events show that a few people can make a difference, and cleanups provide some hope for hundreds of thousands of citizens who are concerned about our blessed river and its tributaries. Clean water is a nonpartisan issue; we are all in this together.” -David Whiteside, Tennessee Riverkeeper
Whiteside added that no one solution exists for keeping our waterways clean, but that preventing plastics from entering waterways is an obvious solution, and it is easier to remove garbage from the shorelines and shallow water of creeks and rivers.
“It is very difficult and inefficient to try to remove litter from deeper water. Another important solution is education and informing citizens that littering not only makes our community look trashy, it also impairs fishing and water quality.”
https://hvilleblast.com/340-pounds-trash-removed-from-2-decatur-waterways/
News coverage of Decatur Cleanup from WAAY 31 / ABC Huntsville
LEGAL UPDATE
Tennessee Riverkeeper has filed a lawsuit to clean up sewage pollution in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
This is a citizen’s suit, brought pursuant to the provisions of Section 505(a)(1) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act (hereinafter “CWA”), as amended, 33 U.S.C. § 1365(a)(1), to address violations of the CWA by Defendant, City of Spring Hill, Tennessee (“Spring Hill” or “the City”) arising out of illegal discharges of pollutants from the Spring Hill Sewage Treatment Plant (“STP”) at Spring Hill, Maury County, Tennessee.
Defendant Spring Hill is in violation of sections 301 and 402 of the CWA (33 U.S.C. §§1311 and 1342) and sections 122.1 et sec of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These laws require that no facility shall discharge pollutants to waters of the United States or waters of the state except as authorized by a permit issued pursuant to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”).
JACK JOHNSON IS MATCHING YOUR DONATION!
Thank you Kim and Jack Johnson and the All At Once Foundation!
Click here to donate and have your donation matched by Jack Johnson!
ANNIE BOSKO FOR TENNESSEE RIVERKEEPER
Annie Bosko recently filmed a public service announcement for Tennessee Riverkeeper backstage at The Orion Amphitheater. Thank you Annie and The Orion!
MORE CLEANUPS COMING SOON!
RSVP TO OCT 11 CLEANUP IN HUNTSVILLE HERE.
Stay tuned to social media and emails for details about cleanups coming soon in your area. As the weather gets cooler and summer vacations come to their end, we will be ramping up our cleanups again.
September and November will feature cleanups in Decatur and Nashville.
Save the dates for Huntsville:
Sunday, October 11 ~ Huntsville, AL
Saturday, October 24 ~ Huntsville, AL
Early December ~ Ditto Landing, Huntsville, AL
Follow us on social media for more updates.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
Our Outreach Program, lead by Brandon Hayes, is seeking volunteers for the following dates and concerts. Please email: Volunteeer@TennesseeRiver.org if you can help!
October 10 & 11 ~ Orion Amphitheater for Phish (AL)
October 23 & 24 ~ Orion Amphitheater for Billy Strings (AL)
DATA CENTERS COMING TO TENNESSEE AND ALABAMA
AI data centers are being proposed all over Tennessee and Alabama. Citizens are concerned about water usage, power rates, noise, and other issues.
RECENT ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES
TENNESSEE: Tennessee recycling roundup gives residents a way to recycle tires, electronics and more
so close to 10,000 on Instagram!
Thanks to you, Tennessee Riverkeeper is growing as fast as ever on almost every social media platform. Our email list is growing faster than ever, thanks to concert tabling and the outreach program.
We recently reached 3,000 people on TikTok, our fastest growing platform. We are close to 10,000 on Instagram, although we are disappointed in Meta showing our content to our audience.
You help represent approximately 53,000+ supporters across Tennessee Riverkeeper's social media channels. We've grown by approximately 700 people on social media in July, or about 23 people per day,
Social media, the press, and this newsletter are very important methods for the organization to educate the public about water and the pollution that threatens our communities.
Please join us on these sites if you are not already.
Please share and encourage your friends and family to join as well:
BIG PLASTIC'S BIG MESS
Get Involved
Tennessee Riverkeeper protects the water supply for more than 6.3 Million Southerners. Together we are stronger!
Please make a tax deductible donation / click here to donate to Tennessee Riverkeeper