Raritan Riverkeeper Program

Raritan Riverkeeper is the citizen guardian of the Raritan River. The Raritan was once the poster child for polluted rivers, and industry and municipalities treated it as an open sewer. Today, thanks to the Clean Water Act and citizen groups like the Raritan Riverkeeper, the river is cleaner.

Of course, there is much work to be done. The Raritan is still the 14th most polluted waterway in the nation, with 20 federal Superfund sites and 200 state-registered toxic sites along its banks and the banks of its tributaries.

The Raritan Riverkeeper, as a program of Baykeeper, stops polluters, champions public access, and influences land use decisions. The Riverkeeper pursues opportunities for land preservation and habitat restoration, and partners with other groups to advocate for the Raritan River’s environmental importance, as well as its value as a recreational and cultural resource.