Falls Lake spans 22 miles across north Raleigh. It is a recreational site for more than 3 million people each year. Students camp there, bike there and swim there.Ben Aldridge, a freshman in business management, is only one of the lake’s many patrons.

“I go wakeboarding,” said Aldridge. “It’s a great place to go with my friends to take a break from studying and have fun.”

But beyond the glossy blue appearance, the water flowing from the Neuse River into the lake is a life force behind Raleigh, providing drinking water to 380,000 Wake County residents, including roughly 30,000 N.C. State students.

The responsibility of keeping the water clean falls in the hands of Dean Naujoks, the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper.

“[There is a] need to have someone be a watchdog for the river, to be a voice to the people,” Naujoks said.

Naujoks works for the Neuse River Foundation and the city of Raleigh to enforce the legislation for clean water. He does so by patrolling the waters in his boat, the Waterdog, but also by foot through routine checks for runoff at construction sites.

“I feel this is something I just grew up believing in,” said Naujoks. “This is my passion; it’s what I love to do.”

Life before riverkeeping

Like many students, uncertainty plagued Naujoks’ plans right out of high school. “People I went to school with were going off to college to become doctors and lawyers,” Naujoks said. “And for somebody to know at such a young age what they want to do for the rest of their life, it’s great. I was 19, and I just didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Naujoks grew up enjoying the outdoors, especially camping and fishing by rivers and lakes. This love for the outdoors led him to spend the next nine years working for the N.C. Wildlife Federation. During this time, he also enrolled as a part-time student at N.C. State University.

His work with the Wildlife Federation sparked Naujoks’ interest in enforcing environmental laws. In 1999, he became a full-time student. Using the University’s former Multi-Disciplinary Program, he created his major in environmental policy and sustainable development.

Since he graduated in 2001, Naujoks has worked to better the water quality in the Neuse River and Falls Lake as one of North Carolina’s ten riverkeepers.

Drinking water

“[Clean water is] a resource that people continue to take and take until they can’t get anymore,” said Naujoks.

Although considered a renewable resource, less than one percent of the world’s fresh water is available to drink. This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. Only this small percentage is regularly renewed by rainfall, and is therefore available on a sustainable basis.

What people do not realize is that factors such as drought, pollution and the world’s growing population affect the quantity and quality of drinking water that is readily available, according to Naujoks.

Though the growing population and drought are problems that are not easily fixed, pollution can be prevented.

Naujoks said the nation’s number one cause of pollution is sedimentary runoff, mostly from construction sites, which carry mud, oil, phosphorus and bacteria into our drinking water.

In the state of North Carolina alone, there are 8,000 active construction sites, and only 32 of the recommended 300 inspectors exist. Because inspectors are so understaffed, Naujoks said that when he is not out on the water, he also patrols the sites on foot to look for violations.

“There is no money for enforcement,” Naujoks said. “[There are] only a handful of inspectors doing a monumental job.”

What has been done to help improve water quality

Naujoks has worked tirelessly to help keep Raleigh’s water clean. In 2002, he charged Raleigh’s waste treatment plant with 20 violations, including allowing excess discharge into the Neuse.

That accomplishment earned the support of Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker, who, in addition to spending $40 million upgrading the sewage plant, has also recently worked with Naujoks to prevent the town of Butner from dumping an additional 61,000 pounds of nitrogen into Falls Lake.

Naujoks said although he discovers some sources of pollution on his own, citizens have been helpful in pointing out problems. Daniel Graham, a political science lecturer, teaches a class on environmental law and invites his former student, Naujoks, to speak to his class about the importance of citizens helping out.

“[Naujoks] shows them the need to get citizens directly involved with sending polluters to court,” Graham said.

The Neuse River is one of the fastest growing river basins in the world, and has been previously listed on America’s Top 20 Most Endangered Rivers. Naujoks explains that it is this publicity of a pollution threat that has helped with bettering the water in the past.

To increase public awareness of stormwater violations, Naujoks and the Neuse River Foundation developed the Muddy Water Watch Project. This project will teach citizens the importance of the Clean Water Act and how they can use it to recognize violations in everyday settings, such as construction sites, and how to report those violations to the police.

“Students and citizens can help out. They need to be involved in keeping the water user-friendly,” said Graham.