Catawba Riverkeeper preserves, protects, and restores the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River basin for all through education, advocacy, and engagement.

The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation was founded in 1997 by the Lakes Norman and Wylie Marine Commissions as a result of a task force recommendation from the Centralina Council of Governments 1995 study on the Catawba River corridor.We hired our first Riverkeeper, Donna Lisenby, in 1998 with a license from Waterkeeper Alliance. Catawba Riverkeeper has been the leader in direct protection of the Catawba-Wateree River through education, advocacy & on-the-ground monitoring and reporting ever since. In 2021, Catawba fulfilled the vision of its founders by moving our headquarters on-the-water and opening satellite offices in the Northern and Southern Basins.