Someone is overseeing the Saluda, Broad, and Congaree rivers in Richland and Lexington counties. And that someone is Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler.

“Water is a common good,” said Stangler. He was the guest speaker at the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber Breakfast, Tuesday at Cayce United Methodist Church.

Stangler said the rivers “belong to all of us.” Because of that the Congaree Riverkeeper, a grassroots, non-profit organization, conducts weekly water quality checks at 10 stations on the local rivers.

Stangler said the water quality checks are being extended until the end of October, instead of September, this year because of the warm weather. Green means all is well for recreation on the rivers. Orange is not good.

The water quality status can be accessed, Stangler said, at howsmyscriver.org. The water is tested at sites from St. Andrews on the Broad River and near Lake Murray on the Saluda, down to Bluff Road on the Congaree.

Stangler said in addition to testing water quality, Congaree Riverkeeper volunteers pick up trash from the river banks and pull trash and debris from the river. Last week a group collected about 1,200 pounds of garbage from the banks of the Congaree River. in 2018, almost 10,000 pounds of trash has been picked up.

The Congaree Riverkeeper also conducts a Three River outreach education program. Stangler said that includes speaking engagements about the rivers to groups like Boy Scouts, schools and law enforcement.

Congaree Riverkeeper also monitors sewage seepage into the river and was behind a high-profile lawsuit against Carolina Water Service for sewage discharge into the river.

The riverkeeper has also initiated a strategy to remove an old unneeded dam near Congaree Creek in Cayce in order to restore water flow and water quality.  Stangler said he expects the Congaree Riverkeeper will be involved in the removal of more unused dams in the future.