In 1983, the founding Riverkeeper organization formed around the Hudson River in New York, in response to the untreated sewage and industrial water pollution that was degrading water quality in the river. Today, Waterkeeper Alliance, based in Manhattan, unites all Waterkeeper organizations. The group helps to coordinate and cover issues affecting Waterkeepers that work to protect rivers, lakes, bays, sounds, and other water bodies around the world. In the United States, only 52 of the 180 groups cover watersheds west of the Mississippi River.
