Watauga Riverkeeper

06/04/2026

We love our Swim Guide volunteers. Download the free Swim Guide app and check back on our socials for weekly results on Fridays.

06/02/2026

So grateful for our hard working debris crews. This crew is out five days a week rain or shine all year. MountainTrue totals in the millions of pounds removed and lasting friendships made along the way. True impact and paid, meaningful work for so many thanks to your support and a partnership with
Get out and enjoy your River

05/29/2026

Happening tonight! Come out to speak up for forests, water quality, & the High Country!

Join MountainTrue and the NC Sierra Club, at the Watauga County Library on May 29th for a Roadless Rule Community Roundtable.

05/26/2026

High Country forests need your help! 🌳⚠️

The Roadless Rule protects some of our last wild forests from logging and road building — and now it needs our voices. 🌲
Show up. Speak out. Make a public comment at the hearing and help protect clean water, wildlife habitat, and the places we all love to explore. Public pressure matters more than ever right now!

If you care about forests staying wild for future generations, this is the moment to be loud. Bring a friend, share this post, and come make your voice heard this Friday evening 💚💧🐸🐝🐻🍃

05/20/2026

Update on the Middle Fork New River Fish Kill. Fish kill was caused by unintentional release of chlorine.
Investigation by NCDEQ concluded that The town of Blowing Rock was cleaning out their clearwell (where they store treated drinking water before it’s distributed) and attempting to transfer to the wastewater treatment plant for disposal. There was some issue with a valve so it went to a stormdrain instead and ultimately discharged to the river. The chlorine residual of drinking water is such that it can easily and quickly kill fish unfortunately. Thankfully the chlorine evaporates quickly. The follow up is that there is a plan to dye test all drains at the site to avoid this unpleasant result in the future. We are grateful to NCDEQ and the NCWRC for their swift and thoughtful action. Stay tuned for updates. We will continue to monitor the impacts. On a positive note I did observe several healthy fish in this section today exhibiting normal healthy behavior.
Remember friends, rivers are resilient. There is still much to be grateful for on this lovely stretch of water. Downstream waters remain safe for fishing and recreation.

05/20/2026

WATER QUALITY ADVISORY. MULTI SPECIES FISH KILL MIDDLE FORK NEW RIVER. A concerned angler reported a fish kill impacting the Middle Fork New River. From approximately the Blue Ridge Parkway bridge over 321 to Sterling Park/Tweetsie area numerous dead fish and a noxious odor. Anglers and recreation enthusiasts are advised to avoid this area and contact with the water. Staff from North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality have responded and are conducting their investigations. Stay safe out there River fam. We will continue to collect samples and monitor the impacts.

04/29/2026

NABat volunteers help document bat species along driving routes with special equipment attached to their vehicles to detect bat activity. Surveys take place during the months of June and July but volunteers need only commit to two nights within a 10-day sample window to participate. In addition, vol...

04/27/2026

After Hurricane Helene, our rivers carried more than water. They carried the weight of everything left behind. Since the storm MountainTrue has mobilized thousands of volunteers and hired more than 100 people, all working tirelessly to remove over 5 million pounds of trash and debris from our rivers. This is more than a cleanup. We're rebuilding our environment, strengthening our economy and helping stabilize our communities. And there's still more to do. Find out how you can help by becoming a member of MountainTrue or joining a volunteer cleanup at our website, mountaintrue.org. Join the recovery.

04/25/2026

Hey River fam,
We’ve been getting plenty of calls about riparian tree clearing and heavy equipment on the Meredith Valley area of the Watauga River Tailwater. Photos taken on Thursday. Here are the details:

There is legacy fly ash stored in this long ridge section of the Watauga River. This fly ash is a legacy of industrial use like rayon manufacturing. The ash dump is unstable and weakened during Helene. The stabilization, containment and remediation unfortunately includes clearing of the riparian zone to access the toe or base of the ash pile.

From Tennessee Department of Environmental Control:

“TDEC is pulling back fly ash so they can put in some toe protection (rip rap) and install a clay cap over the fly ash. The removed fly ash will be pulled back from the river on site and capped with clay also. They are working under an individual Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit NRS22.084 and Construction General Permit TNR162488.”

MountainTrue and your Watauga Riverkeeper will continue to work closely with local state agencies to monitor this project. This includes water and sediment sampling to understand and mitigate water quality impacts. Feel free to reach out with questions. We are forever grateful to our guide and angler community for being eyes and ears on the water to help protect this beautiful and vital resource.

Also the sulfur bite is pretty good. Book a float trip with a local guide and invite me. I’ll bring flies that used to work.