Who are we?
We are mothers, scientists and now advocates fighting for clean water. We have different stories, but our paths joined us in the middle of a small town with a major drinking water crisis. We represent the voices of the people who can't speak up. We are advocating for our children, our town and our state- our fight has just begun.
Katie Bryant
Founder
Katie L. Bryant holds her Bachelor's degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. She is a former Microbiologist with a focus in academic biomedical research, vaccine manufacturing, and quality assurance.
She moved to Pittsboro, North Carolina in 2011 as a military spouse, where started her family and later learned the truth behind Pittsboro’s secret water crisis. Immersing into citizen activism, she became the chair of the Pittsboro Water Quality Task Force from 2019 to 2020, and after continued inaction within the local government co-founded Clean Haw River alongside fellow Biologist Dr. Jessica Merricks. Since, she has been on a growing mission to bring awareness, understanding, and action to Pittsboro’s drinking water crisis. She hopes to impact state and federal policy makers to gain the regulations we desperately need throughout our country to save our drinking water.
Dr. Jessica Merricks
Co-founder
Dr. Jessica Merricks moved to Pittsboro, NC in the summer of 2019 with her husband and young daughter. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Tulane University and a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at Elon University, where she teaches and conducts biology education research. After learning about the toxic contaminants in her family’s drinking water, she teamed up with Katie Bryant to co-found Clean Haw River. Jessica hopes to use her science background and expertise in public science outreach skills to educate her community and fight at the local, state, and national levels to protect the right of all people to have access to clean, safe drinking water.