Started as a chapter of Orange County Coastkeeper in 2005, Inland Empire Waterkeeper is an affiliate of the international Waterkeeper Alliance; a grassroots environmental movement started in 1999 that supports the protection of waterways and the right to clean water in watersheds around the world. Orange County Coastkeeper (OCCK), and Inland Empire Waterkeeper (IEWK), operate as independent programs under the same 501(c)3 number as the Program at Orange County proactively moved up the watershed to address pertinent water quality issues. Inland Empire Waterkeeper's mission is to protect and enhance the water quality of the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed through programs of advocacy, education, research, restoration, and enforcement.
Our River KATS program: Kids Activism Together with Science, is an environmental education and mentoring program that provides underserved students in low-income communities with field trips and hands-on activities that allow students to explore watershed science. Through River KATS, we educate K-12 students about important environmental issues within their watershed that directly affect them, their families, and their communities. We offer our services to Title 1 schools free of charge.