LANDSFORD CANAL It was cool and cloudy as we pushed our canoe into the Catawba River last Monday morning.

I had asked Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman to paddle part of the 30-mile section of the river below the Lake Wylie Dam, which has just been named as a South Carolina Scenic River.

The first thing Merryman mentioned was the light-brown frothy color of the river. An upriver rain shower the day before had released a torrent of red clay sediment from areas such as construction sites.

“That's what we're up against. Storm water runoff from developments with inadequate silt fencing and catch basins,” Merryman said as he paddled upriver into the sluggish current. “And in a nutshell, that's one of the biggest threats to the health of the Catawba. Continual development and sediment runoff.”

He adds that he's not opposed to development, but he's adamant about seeing that the Catawba doesn't suffer unduly because of that growth.

I noted the irony that – within a three-month span of the Catawba being named as America's most endangered river – a section is singled out for its “outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic, botanical, fish, wildlife, historic or cultural values.”

Not only that, but this particular section being designated carries the brunt of the largest urban influence on the river.

The middle of the section, which is just behind the former Indian Land High School on U.S. 521, is the confluence of Sugar Creek.

The creek carries the bulk of Charlotte's treated wastewater into the Catawba.

“Yeah, that's the other part of this. This is perhaps one of the most scenic and wild parts of the Catawba, but all of the industrial discharges and waste are channeled directly into the river here,” he said as he motioned to a Louisiana blue heron flapping its huge wings from its perch on a partially submerged log.

Merryman was named Riverkeeper in April, replacing Donna Lisenby after she'd held the position since the program began a decade ago.

The Riverkeeper program is an advocate for the river in the 14 Carolinas counties in its basin.

Lisenby's voice was loud and aggressive in defending the river, frequently confronting powerful stakeholders along the river such as Duke Energy and Crescent Resources.

She refused to sign off on Duke's long-negotiated relicensing application with the federal government to operate the dams, over concerns such as a guaranteed minimal flow level at the dams, even during droughts.

Asked if it was intimidating for a 24-year-old new hire to fill Lisenby's shoes, Merryman grinned:

“No, I'll never fill her shoes; not many people could. But I've got my own shoes and my own plans to be the voice of the river,” said Merryman, who served as assistant Riverkeeper in 2006 under Lisenby before leaving for a master's degree in applied ecology and conservation biology at Frostberg State University in Maryland.

Lisenby's former job has been split: Merryman serves as the Riverkeeper, but environmental attorney Rick Gaskins has been hired as the group's executive director.

Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation board member Kathy Wilson of Rock Hill jokes that “it took two men to replace Donna.”

She is encouraged with Merryman's enthusiasm for the job and his passion for the Catawba.

“David is young, but he's impressed us with his willingness to fight for the Catawba,” she said.

“He did a good job as an assistant working with all of our volunteers, and we're glad to have him back.”

The bulk of Merryman's time on the river as an assistant was upriver, in the Lake James and Lake Hickory area. But he's fast becoming acclimated with the lower section of the river.

As we paddled, he pointed out several lots on the east bank which are part of River Chase Estates.

He's met with the owners who are actively marketing their subdivision as having access canoe/kayak sites on the Catawba with access to the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies at Landsford.

The houses will generally set back from the river 300 to 400 feet because of bordering wetlands.

He says that this section is an example of how most things from Charlotte eventually flow down the Catawba.

“This development and Sun City are prime examples of Charlotte's suburban sprawl, and increasingly where people want to move is near the river,” he said. “It's all coming down toward the river.”

As we paddled further upstream, the current began to increase to the point that, if you stopped paddling, you'd slowly begin to drift backward. In a funny way, that's what it's like fighting for the Catawba – with all the growth and development being channeled to the basin, it's like paddling upstream.

It can be done but you must remain vigilant.

Merryman, who grew up along the Mississippi in Memphis and even claims a 19th century riverboat gambler as an ancestor, says it's a constant struggle.

“Development will continue to come and impact the Catawba. We can't stop it, but we can't quit either,” he said after helping load the canoe in my truck. “My job is to educate, advocate and protect the Catawba, and that's what I'm going to continue to do.”

It was cool and cloudy as we pushed our canoe into the Catawba River last Monday morning.

I had asked Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman to paddle part of the 30-mile section of the river below the Lake Wylie Dam, which has just been named as a South Carolina Scenic River.

The first thing Merryman mentioned was the light-brown frothy color of the river. An upriver rain shower the day before had released a torrent of red clay sediment from areas such as construction sites.

“That's what we're up against. Storm water runoff from developments with inadequate silt fencing and catch basins,” Merryman said as he paddled upriver into the sluggish current. “And in a nutshell, that's one of the biggest threats to the health of the Catawba. Continual development and sediment runoff.”

He adds that he's not opposed to development, but he's adamant about seeing that the Catawba doesn't suffer unduly because of that growth.

I noted the irony that – within a three-month span of the Catawba being named as America's most endangered river – a section is singled out for its “outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic, botanical, fish, wildlife, historic or cultural values.”

Not only that, but this particular section being designated carries the brunt of the largest urban influence on the river.

The middle of the section, which is just behind the former Indian Land High School on U.S. 521, is the confluence of Sugar Creek.

The creek carries the bulk of Charlotte's treated wastewater into the Catawba.

“Yeah, that's the other part of this. This is perhaps one of the most scenic and wild parts of the Catawba, but all of the industrial discharges and waste are channeled directly into the river here,” he said as he motioned to a Louisiana blue heron flapping its huge wings from its perch on a partially submerged log.

Merryman was named Riverkeeper in April, replacing Donna Lisenby after she'd held the position since the program began a decade ago.

The Riverkeeper program is an advocate for the river in the 14 Carolinas counties in its basin.

Lisenby's voice was loud and aggressive in defending the river, frequently confronting powerful stakeholders along the river such as Duke Energy and Crescent Resources.

She refused to sign off on Duke's long-negotiated relicensing application with the federal government to operate the dams, over concerns such as a guaranteed minimal flow level at the dams, even during droughts.

Asked if it was intimidating for a 24-year-old new hire to fill Lisenby's shoes, Merryman grinned:

“No, I'll never fill her shoes; not many people could. But I've got my own shoes and my own plans to be the voice of the river,” said Merryman, who served as assistant Riverkeeper in 2006 under Lisenby before leaving for a master's degree in applied ecology and conservation biology at Frostberg State University in Maryland.

Lisenby's former job has been split: Merryman serves as the Riverkeeper, but environmental attorney Rick Gaskins has been hired as the group's executive director.

Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation board member Kathy Wilson of Rock Hill jokes that “it took two men to replace Donna.”

She is encouraged with Merryman's enthusiasm for the job and his passion for the Catawba.

“David is young, but he's impressed us with his willingness to fight for the Catawba,” she said.

“He did a good job as an assistant working with all of our volunteers, and we're glad to have him back.”

The bulk of Merryman's time on the river as an assistant was upriver, in the Lake James and Lake Hickory area. But he's fast becoming acclimated with the lower section of the river.

As we paddled, he pointed out several lots on the east bank which are part of River Chase Estates.

He's met with the owners who are actively marketing their subdivision as having access canoe/kayak sites on the Catawba with access to the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies at Landsford.

The houses will generally set back from the river 300 to 400 feet because of bordering wetlands.

He says that this section is an example of how most things from Charlotte eventually flow down the Catawba.

“This development and Sun City are prime examples of Charlotte's suburban sprawl, and increasingly where people want to move is near the river,” he said. “It's all coming down toward the river.”

As we paddled further upstream, the current began to increase to the point that, if you stopped paddling, you'd slowly begin to drift backward. In a funny way, that's what it's like fighting for the Catawba – with all the growth and development being channeled to the basin, it's like paddling upstream.

It can be done but you must remain vigilant.

Merryman, who grew up along the Mississippi in Memphis and even claims a 19th century riverboat gambler as an ancestor, says it's a constant struggle.

“Development will continue to come and impact the Catawba. We can't stop it, but we can't quit either,” he said after helping load the canoe in my truck. “My job is to educate, advocate and protect the Catawba, and that's what I'm going to continue to do.”