Monterey Waterkeeper protects and restores fishable, swimmable and drinkable waters within the Monterey Region and along California’s Central Coast for all to enjoy.
Monterey Waterkeeper collaborates alongside residents, particularly financially disadvantaged and underserved communities, to ensure that all communities have safe, affordable drinking water, pristine rivers, and access to coastal waters. Our work focuses on systemic change through community-driven, data-supported advocacy, clean water act litigation, building resident leadership, and strategic partnerships.
We work diligently for community members, whose drinking water is contaminated by nitrates and pesticides, to advocate for statewide pollution limits and increased enforcement against polluters to protect the health of all Californians.
We lead outdoor education trips to the Salinas River, Elkhorn Slough, and Monterey Bay for families in Monterey County. During these excursions, we empower volunteers to become community scientists and learn how to conduct water quality testing while building advocacy skills so they may protect their local water sources. Since 2022, our we have engaged 639 youth and families in our education program.
Monterey Waterkeeper centers equity and inclusion in all its work. Our policy-based advocacy, clean-water litigation, and outdoor education opportunities are for the benefit of all Monterey County residents. MWK offers exciting, educational excursions throughout the entire county. We endeavor to offer as many opportunities as possible for underserved youth and families from financially disadvantaged communities who are heavily impacted by environmental harms, such as nitrate pollution, unsafe drinking water, lack of access to coastal waters.
I’m Rick Frank, an inaugural member of the Monterey Waterkeeper’s Board of Directors. I’ve been passionate about our freshwater and marine water resources for over a half century—both in my professional career as an environmental attorney and professor, and as a resident on California’s Central Coast. Monterey Waterkeeper is dedicated to improving and protecting the health and quality of our precious Central Coast water resources. Our mission includes environmental education, advocacy, outreach to underserved communities and, when necessary, litigation to preserve these essential water resources that we all hold dear.
- Rick Frank, Pacific Grove
