Riverkeeper's mission is to protect the environmental, recreational and commercial integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries, and to safeguard New York City's and Westchester County's drinking water supply.

Riverkeeper focuses on three overarching problems facing Hudson River communities:

• Restoration of the Hudson River ecosystem, with particular emphasis on minimizing fish kills and water pollution;
• Protection of New York City's drinking water supply; and
• Improving public access to the Hudson River.

We serve a diverse population, from urban dwellers residing in New York City to local fishermen and working class families who live and work in the rural Hudson Valley. With every passing day, the public's concern only increases for rigorous protection of the drinking water supply, for power plant safety, and for preservation of their local environment. Because of Riverkeeper's widespread reputation for taking on polluters, whether large or small, we are increasingly deluged with requests for our services.

Due to this increase in requests for assistance, Riverkeeper has doubled the size of its legal team during the past three years, and hired a staff investigator to respond to citizen pollution reports. Investigations and cases usually start with a simple phone call or e-mail, or someone hailing our patrol boat out on the river with a tip. On the river, our Boat Captain, John Lipscomb may investigate the issue himself or call into the office for support. Then, our investigator, Basil Seggos, will be dispatched to the suspected site or to meet with the citizen "watchdog". Once we have sufficient information we can determine if a violation of Clean Water, zoning codes or other issues is occurring. In many cases we will be able to guide the person, or group, that informed us of the violation in what their rights are, and often stop the problem right there and then. When the case is more complicated or grievous, we will decide how we can bring the appropriate legal resources to bear.

In these more complicated cases, we must decide what resources will be needed and how to build the team. Polluters rely on two things: first, that mounting a legal challenge to their activities will cost far more than most individuals can afford; and second, that it often takes a long time to win a case against a polluter. Riverkeeper has shown its ability to overcome both of these obstacles. We have become expert in building strong alliances with key partners and broad-based coalitions that greatly improve our likelihood of success. When we enter a case, Riverkeeper assembles a team of experts in law, engineering, biology, hydrology, economics and energy policy. Combining fund raising to cover expenses, use of pro-bono services and keeping overhead to a minimum, Riverkeeper has proven to be the David who successfully topples many a polluting Goliath.

Often, the alliance we forge includes the invaluable contributions of the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic.

Riverkeeper combines a unique set of strengths that make such alliances attractive to many groups: a professional reputation, a grassroots base of public support, a powerhouse of attorneys, and strong interlinking partnerships with key organizations expert in law, engineering, biology, hydrology, economics and energy policy.