History

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch originated from an organization called Alliance for a Responsible Swine Industry (ARSI). ARSI was formed in the late 1980s to address environmental impacts and social justice issues surrounding North Carolina’s hog industries. In 2013, CCRW revived ARSI to carry on this mission while expanding to include several other concerns regarding environmental advocacy and protection.

Expanded issues include offshore drilling and seismic blasting, plastics and microplastics, marine debris, water quality in NC fisheries, and stormwater runoff. We regularly investigate citizen concerns about water quality and continually work to address emerging threats within our watershed. With these added initiatives, the organization transformed to its current standing of CCRW.

In 2016, CCRW became the official license holder for Crystal Coast Waterkeeper. In 2017, we acquired the license for White Oak-New Riverkeeper Alliance. In unifying these two Waterkeeper Alliance programs under CCRW, we are dedicated to uplifting all members of our community to strengthen environmental stewardship, education, and advocacy.