Savannah Riverkeeper

06/03/2026

The water is talking. Are we listening?

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services has issued a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Recreational Watch for portions of Lake Hartwell after confirming the presence of a cyanobacteria bloom in several areas of the lake. Reports describe bright green and blue-green patches that resemble spilled paint or streaks of yellow across the water's surface.

While current cyanotoxin levels remain below state recreational criteria, these blooms can change quickly. If you spot a suspicious bloom, avoid contact with the water, keep pets and livestock away, do not swim or fish in the affected area, and report the sighting to SCDES. Photos and location information can help officials track changing conditions.

Remember: harmful algal blooms are dynamic and may appear beyond currently posted watch areas. Stay alert, stay informed, and help protect Lake Hartwell by reporting what you see.

06/03/2026

The River Winds Through History

The Civil War ended more than 160 years ago, but along the Savannah River, some stories refuse to stay buried.

In the chaotic final days of the Confederacy, wagons reportedly traveled from Washington, Georgia, toward Abbeville, South Carolina, carrying Confederate gold. One account places part of that treasure on the grounds of the Chennault Plantation in Lincoln County, where robbers attacked the encampment under cover of darkness.

Soon rumors spread across the region. The thieves, locals claimed, had hidden the gold in nearby streams, creek bottoms, and fields before vanishing. Treasure hunters spent decades searching riverbanks and woodlands, but no gold was ever recovered.

Photographed by Paul Liepe

Like so many stories tied to the Savannah River watershed, the mystery remains. It's part history, part legend, and a reminder that every bend in the river is capable of carrying a secret all its own.

05/29/2026

We had a great conversation regarding our approach to talking to people in divided times about common issues. The secret sauce - a careful blend of facts, emotions, and believing that what people understand as necessity can break down ideological barriers.

Now Streaming!

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop, Tonya Bonitatibus of Savannah Riverkeeper discusses protecting the 400-mile Savannah River system across Georgia and South Carolina. She highlights the need to work across political divides and build trust with rural communities and industries. Tonya calls for a shift in environmental messaging from abstract “tree hugging” to public health and safe drinking water.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://tr.ee/sfKJ2qDFn5

05/28/2026

Things are starting to heat up around the proposed Elba Bridge pipeline. Our own Tonya Bonitatibus weighed in with concerns over where this might cross the river, but in truth, this could well impact far more of the basin. This is an area of active interest and participation for us.

A company trying to extend a natural gas pipe through Georgia and South Carolina has taken resistant landowners to court

05/27/2026

The proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline which would snake across significant wetlands in both Georgia and South Carolina has us deeply concerned, as does the company's mishandling of communication with the landowners that would be affected. Know your rights.

A proposed natural gas pipeline in Colleton County would pose problems for forests and property owners who already are experiencing economic challenges from the closure of South Carolina saw mills. (Full story below.)

05/27/2026

The River Winds Through History

Before bridges stitched Augusta and North Augusta together, there were ferries - rough wooden boats carrying farmers, merchants, gossip, cotton, whiskey, and trouble across the Savannah River. The crossing business in the late 18th and early 19th century was particularly competitive. John Hammond and neighboring farmer Ezekiel Harris fought a legendary feud over rival ferry operations, complete with accusations of arson and hard feelings that ran as deep as the river itself. In 1800, the rivalry turned deadly with Harris being a primary suspect in the unsolved murder of Hammond - one more reminder that the Savannah still carries the stories we leave behind.

The Ezekiel Harris House in Augusta, GA

05/25/2026

Memorial Day is not just about memory - it is also about carrying forward the weight of sacrifice.

At Savannah Riverkeeper, we honor those who gave their lives in service to something larger than themselves. The water keeps moving and so do we, but not at the expense of memory.

Around here we have a saying - the river never forgets.

Neither do we.

05/20/2026

The pictures don’t lie.

From above, the shoreline at Lake Hartwell of looks less like a lake and more like a warning. The water has pulled back and exposed earth is left stretching out where the lake should be. It's a reminder that drought changes everything - not just how the river looks, but how it works.

For generations, dilution has helped protect the Savannah River Basin from pollution. But when water levels fall, contaminants become more concentrated, risks increase, and the need for aggressive water monitoring becomes urgent.

The drought isn’t coming. It’s here.

That’s why Savannah Riverkeeper is expanding water testing across the basin - because the lower the water gets, the closer we need to look.

The river is showing us the stakes in real time.

Photos: Michael Page, Geographer, Emory University. Flight courtesy of SouthWings.