Coosa Riverkeeper tests the water at Lakeside Park in Pell City on a weekly basis. Photo by U. Glidewell

“All rivers lead to the sea” it has been said, but locally most rivers flow into Logan Martin Lake.

Justinn Overton, Executive Director of Coosa Riverkeeper, spoke to Pell City Kiwanis last week about their mission to keep the Coosa Watershed clean and the various tests and information her staff and volunteers conduct to provide information to the public.

According to their website, www.coosariver.org, Coosa Riverkeeper is a citizen-based river conservation group with a mission to protect, restore and promote the Coosa River and its tributaries in Alabama. They patrol the waters, educate the public, and advocate for the river. The organization was founded in 2010 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in response to the Coosa River being listed by American Rivers as one of the ten most endangered rivers in the country due to the impacts of hydropower.

Every week, interns collect samples from five lakes and dozens of creeks in Alabama. They test various locations in St. Clair County including Seddon Point, Lakeside Park, Coldwater Creek, lower Choccolocco River, Lake Shore, Clear Creek Slough and Logan Martin Dam Park.  Water collected at these sites is then analyzed in the lab to monitor water quality and test for E.coli levels in the water. Historically, Overton explained that most elevated results and alerts were issued because of rain.

These results are available to the public on their website www.coosariver.org or through text alerts at SWIMGUIDE (84483).

“I grew up in the bottom of a jon boat,” said Justinn Overton, “so it’s a real honor to protect a river that I made so many memories on.”

The Coosa Riverkeeper also has a Fish Guide program that condenses and shares information about fish consumption advisories in the area. Currently, there are 34 advisories as a result of PCB and mercury contamination. An interactive map is available on the website, pinpointing locations of fish found to be high in these contaminants.

Free data for Fish Guide program is available to the public by calling 844-219-RISK.

“PCBs don’t break down in water, they can be found in the sediment load and in fish tissue,” Overton explained. “Channel catfish have more advisories, but there is not a study between public consumption and what the state tests due to funding restrictions.”

According to their website, 91% of fishermen would heed the Fish Guide advisories but only 6% know what they are. The Coosa River Fish Guide seeks to share this information to make it easier for anglers to identify any possible contaminates. 

The Coosa Riverkeeper is always needing volunteers to help collect data and share this information. Since they are a non-profit, they also need donations.

“Folks make this work possible,” Overton said. “Money that comes from people that use the river means so much more because you see a direct result from our work. This work we do just gives you peace of mind.”

For more information about the Coosa Riverkeeper, visit www.coosariver.org.