Public Hearing on Burlington Sludge May 13, 7 pm, at Alamance Community College
On Tuesday, May 13, at 7 pm in the Alamance Community College auditorium, the NC Division of Water Quality is holding a public hearing regarding the permit renewal allowing the City of Burlington to apply sewage sludge from its wastewater treatment plant to land in six N.C. counties. (*If you plan to comment, please come early and sign in at 6:30 pm.)
You have between now and May 16th to submit comments on the City of Burlington's permit renewal to spread sewage sludge on farmlands in 6 counties in NC. Below is information on the hearing and some of the more relevant comments or "talking points" with regard to the City's permit renewal.
The Haw River Assembly joined environmental and community groups, as well as the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in asking for this public hearing. We believe that the state needs to do a much better job enforcing and monitoring sludge application so that people, land and water are much better protected. This public hearing gives us a chance to not only look at what the problems are with this permit--but with the entire system in NC. Please come to the hearing or submit comments on this important issue.
For more information or questions contact Sue Dayton, NC Healthy Communities, at 336-525-2003 or sdayton@swcp.com.
Please see the following talking points sent out by Sue. Read more...
Posted on: Wednesday May 07, 2008 EST
Thanks To 2008 Cleanupathon Volunteers & Sponsors!
Many thanks to our teams and team leaders --in all, 213 volunteers who cleaned up 586 bags of trash, 179 tires and much more on Saturday March 15. And thanks too to local businesses and other sponsors who support HRA's river cleanup efforts.
Though rain threatened, most teams were able to get finished before it started. A huge amount of trash was hauled out of the river, off banks and islands, and from under bridges and along roadsides. Volunteers covered over 60 miles of river from Burlington to the Highway 64 bridge in Chatham, plus two creeks and four sites at Jordan Lake. When you take a look at the trash totals, it's clear that our slogan to get new rules passed to clean up nutrient pollution in Jordan Lake rings true for trash as well -- "It all comes down to the Lake."
Brad Carey, with the Army Corps of Engineers at Jordan Lake, headed up a big team of volunteers that removed 215 bags of trash and 110 tires! They are definitely the winners in the "most trash collected" category. We also want to recognize Sarah Slover's team (pictured), with volunteers from the Environmental Club at Green Hope High School, for tackling the horrible amount of trash on Hwy 751 where it crosses the eastern part of Jordan Lake. Larry Ausley and Bob Brueckner from the Carolina Canoe Club put in a huge effort with fellow paddlers, cleaning up the river on a long stretch in Chatham County. "Most heroic effort" goes to volunteers in Bynum who wrestled both an old couch and a huge metal industrial frame out of river mud. "Spirit Island" near Swepsonville is a much more beautiful place after the valiant team work led by Joe Jacob and Cynthia Crossen to remove unsightly trash that had washed downstream over the years. Read more...
Posted on: Tuesday April 22, 2008 EST
About the Haw River Assembly
CAUTION to PADDLERS: The Haw River is very dangerous at high flow. Go to the USGS gauge at Bynum on this website ("Recreational info" button) to check the current river level and safety information.
THE HAW RIVER ASSEMBLY
The Haw River Assembly is a non-profit citizens' group founded in 1982 to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake. The Haw River is a valuable natural resource; the headwaters of the Cape Fear River Basin. The Haw River provides drinking water to many communities, important habitat for wildlife, including endangered species, and recreational and scenic areas.
Our goals are to promote environmental education, conservation and pollution prevention; to speak as a voice for the river in the public arena; and to put into peoples' hands the tools and the knowledge they need to be effective guardians of the river. We are strong coalition builders and have over 1500 members and active volunteers. We believe that to be successful we must reach out to all people in our watershed. We have strengthened our voice by working effectively with other organizations, and are members of River Network, NC Conservation Network and the NC Watershed Coalition. We work with other organizations in the Cape Fear River Basin on issues of mutual concern, including Cape Fear River Watch , the Deep River project of the Greensboro Audubon Society, and the Cape Fear River Assembly.
As it flows through urban and rural areas in Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance, Orange and Chatham counties, sedimentation, wastewater, and runoff pollute its waters. Our mission is to protect this natural resource and to build a watershed community that shares this vision.
Our major projects are the Haw River Festival, a traveling environmental education program, and the Haw River Watch Project, grassroots water monitoring of the Haw and its tributaries. In 2000 we initiated our new Stream Steward Project, involving communities and individuals in how to protect their local streams - saving the river one backyard at a time!
The Haw River Assembly activities take place every season of the year. Hikes and canoe trips, potlucks, volunteer opportunities, streamwatch outings, workshops, and a quarterly newsletter are a few of the benefits of membership. Members also provide a vital base of support for the Festival and all the Assembly's work.
All of our work is made possible by the tremendous efforts of volunteers like you! Our work is funded by member dues, individual donations and by grants from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Triangle Community Foundation, and the Cape Fear River Assembly.
Posted on: Thursday March 18, 2004 EST
Be Part of the Haw River Learning Celebration This Fall
The Haw River Learning Celebration is a traveling event that journeys the entire 100-mile length of the Haw River. For three weeks in September and October a crew of educators, performers and river lovers will bring a hands-on Learning Celebration to over 1500 school children from the seven counties the river connects.
Teachers! If would like to bring your class down to the river, contact Justin Taylor at (919)542-5790, arkanseno@gmail.com.
Volunteers! If you'd like to volunteer for a week or a few days, cook a meal, loan us a truck, make a donation, or help out in any other way, please get in touch with us. Contact Justin Taylor at (919)542-5790, arkanseno@gmail.com, to sign up today!
State of N.C. and Bluegreen Corporation Announce that the State Parks System Will Acquire the 692 Acres Up For Rezoning For Expansion of Haw River State Park, located near Brown Summit in Guilford County.
This was a great accomplishment by citizens who are advocates for the park. To read more about their efforts, go to
Citizens for Haw River State Park.
The Haw River Assembly was part of this effort urging local governments and the state to find a way to create this happy ending. We are very excited that this beautiful land will become part of the Haw River State Park that all of NC's citizens will be able to enjoy. Kudos to the State of North Carolina and the folks at State Parks! Read more...
Posted on: Monday September 17, 2007 EST
Do You Have A Pollution Problem to Report?
Your voice counts! If you have a stream, Haw River, or Jordan Lake pollution problem to report, go to our new Report A Pollution Problem page to let local and state authorities know. Go to Pollution Reports to see problems that have been reported.
Posted on: Thursday September 07, 2006 EST
Thousands on Record to Support Strong Rules to Clean Up Jordan Lake--The Fight Is Not Over
The state's public comment period has ended. Over 4000 people signed petitions and postcards to support the rules to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous from all sources that contribute to Jordan Lake, including development, agriculture, and wastewater effluent. Many others also wrote letters or spoke at the public hearings. We also urged that the nitrogen reduction date of 2016 be brought forward to 2011 for wastewater treatment plants, to keep the lake from being further impaired. Chatham County, Chapel Hill, and Apex passed resolutions of strong support for this position. The NC Environmental Management Commission has postponed the vote on the rules until May 2008. The rules are opposed by many of the local governments upstream and by the homebuilder/realty lobby.
To keep updated on the Jordan Lake rules, visit the Clean Jordan Lake website sponsored by HRA and our enviromental allies.
Posted on: Tuesday May 29, 2007 EST
Seeking Volunteers for New Watchdog Initiatives
The Haw River Assembly is beginning two new watchdog initiatives, to put more concerned eyes on the river and on Jordan Lake. Bridge Watch is recruiting folks who frequently cross a bridge over the Haw or Jordan Lake, to "adopt-a-Haw-River-bridge". We'll ask you to notice, as you cross the bridge, if the river has excessive sediment, algae growth, and/or bad odors; and to call or email HRA to report the problem. We will contact other bridge-watchers to ask how the river looks where they are, to better track sources of problems and get State environmental agencies involved when necessary. See the list of river and lake bridge crossings.
Do you enjoy boating, fishing, paddling, hiking at Jordan Lake? If you are a frequent user of the lake, please consider joining our Lake Watch network that can notify HRA of pollution sightings. With high algae growth in the lake due to nutrient "enrichment", there is potential for algae blooms and fish kills that we want to know about quickly. We are also interested in observations of where trash is piling up, as well as nature sightings.
To sign up, please email us at info@hawriver.org, with "Bridge Watch" or "Lake Watch" in the subject line, or call us at (919) 542-5790. Thanks!
To report a problem on Jordan Lake, print out this Lake Watch Problem Report Form, fill it out, and mail it to us at HRA, P.O. Box 187, Bynum, 27228. Thanks for your help!
Posted on: Monday November 28, 2005 EST
Give the Gift of a Clyde Jones 2008 Sunflower T-shirt!
Haw River Festival 2008 T-Shirts-- "Sunflowers" by Clyde Jones The new 2008 Haw River Festival T-shirt makes a great gift. The design by Clyde Jones shows bright yellow and red sunflowers on a vivid sky blue shirt. Haw River map is on back of shirt. The adult sizes are $20 each and come in Small, Medium, Large, X-large and XX-large. The youth shirt comes in youth size Small and Medium for $16 each. Add $3 per shirt for shipping.
(Send checks made out to Haw River Assembly at PO Box 187 Bynum NC 27228. Include total #, sizes and colors of shirts ordered and who to ship them to. Or call us at (919) 542-5790 to arrange a time to come by our office in Bynum to shop. Shirt designs from previous years are also available.)
Posted on: Wednesday December 13, 2006 EST
Sign Up For Food Lion Shop & Share for HRA
We have linked up with Food Lion's Lion Shop & Share program. Any shopper with an MVP card can link their card to HRA by calling 1-800-210-9569 and choosing option #3, or by visiting www.foodlion.com, clicking on the "Lion Shop & Share" button on the right, and then clicking "Register MVP Cards". For "City", select BYNUM; for organization, select HAW RIVER ASSEMBLY. Once an MVP card is linked, HRA will receive a percentage of every purchase that is made with that card. Thank you!
Many thanks to our 
CAUTION to PADDLERS: The Haw River is very dangerous at high flow. Go to the USGS gauge at Bynum on this website ("Recreational info" button) to check the current river level and safety information.
The Haw River Learning Celebration is a traveling event that journeys the entire 100-mile length of the Haw River. For three weeks in September and October a crew of educators, performers and river lovers will bring a hands-on Learning Celebration to over 1500 school children from the seven counties the river connects.
State of N.C. and Bluegreen Corporation Announce that the State Parks System Will Acquire the 692 Acres Up For Rezoning For Expansion of Haw River State Park, located near Brown Summit in Guilford County.
The state's public comment period has ended. Over 4000 people signed petitions and postcards to support the rules to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous from all sources that contribute to Jordan Lake, including development, agriculture, and wastewater effluent. Many others also wrote letters or spoke at the public hearings. We also urged that the nitrogen reduction date of 2016 be brought forward to 2011 for wastewater treatment plants, to keep the lake from being further impaired. Chatham County, Chapel Hill, and Apex passed resolutions of strong support for this position. The NC Environmental Management Commission has postponed the vote on the rules until May 2008. The rules are opposed by many of the local governments upstream and by the homebuilder/realty lobby.
Haw River Festival 2008 T-Shirts-- "Sunflowers" by Clyde Jones