Who Is Waterkeeper: Matt Pluta, Choptank Riverkeeper

June 16, 2026

Matt Pluta is the Choptank Riverkeeper in Maryland. As a kid, he loved playing in water, be it in creeks or the Great Lakes near Erie, PA. Matt went to college on a water polo scholarship. However, he never thought he would make a career in water. Instead, Matt was taking business classes, although never could see a future for himself in a cubicle.

During the summers, Matt worked as a lifeguard. One summer he saw interns taking water samples from his lifeguard chair. His interest was piqued. Matt would eventually transfer colleges and switch his focus from economics to environmental science. According to Matt, he took an oceanography class and something “just clicked.” It opened up a vision of individuality and presented a whole new career path.

About a year into their marriage, Matt and his wife moved to Maryland for her work. Matt would soon learn about the position of Choptank Riverkeeper, though he wasn’t exactly sure what that entailed.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say I had no idea what a Waterkeeper was before moving to Maryland and coming across the position,” says Matt. “But at that point in my life, two things were already clear to me. I knew I wanted to work on water quality issues, and I was naturally becoming an advocate for clean water in my own life. When I read the job description, it felt like it was written directly for me.” 

The Choptank River runs about 70 miles. It originates in Delaware, runs through Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and eventually joins the Chesapeake Bay.  The watershed is beautiful. It should come as no surprise that city dwellers from Baltimore and Washington come to the region for  vacation. The area is home to a strong seafood industry, though its past was far more robust. About ten miles south of the river is the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. 

Matt’s path to the Choptank River was not a straight line, but in many ways he arrived at the perfect moment. In 2010, the Chesapeake Bay was put on a pollution diet. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a total maximum daily load (TMDL) mandating strict limits on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment coming from the six watershed states, as well as the District of Columbia. It is the single largest effort to clean up a waterbody. For Matt, that meant he was entering a space on the vanguard of innovation and creativity. He found it both inspiring and intimidating.

One of the biggest challenges for Matt in his role as Choptank Riverkeeper is nonpoint source pollution. This form of contamination is very detrimental. However, there is not always a clear villain. There is not an unregulated pipe leading from some shadowy evil factory pumping waste directly into a drinking water source. Instead, it’s typically tied to agriculture and the predominantly honest and well meaning people trying to make a living raising food the world needs to survive. This paradigm has forced Matt to think differently about what effective advocacy work looks like in a watershed like the Choptank. 

“My special interest is the river. A lot of my work has become focused on finding approaches that create long-term behavior change and systemic solutions. That has meant spending a tremendous amount of time working on policy and legislation, often elevating issues that community members bring directly to me as their Riverkeeper,” says Matt. “One of the most rewarding parts of the job is helping communities realize they have a voice in protecting their rivers, and then helping turn that voice into real change.”

To be sure, there has been real change. Matt and the team at ShoreRivers, the parent organization for Choptank Riverkeeper. have helped strengthen citizen enforcement, created oversight for industrial sludge, established concentration limits for PFAS, and supported oyster sanctuary protection and restoration throughout the Choptank watershed.

Another effort that Matt is particularly proud of is an open water swimming event he started shortly after becoming Choptank Riverkeeper in 2015.  The first year of the event, 100 people signed up. However, it rained a lot before the event, and the nearby sewers were overflowing. Suffice to say they had to cancel that swim, but it did lead to a great deal of awareness, including letters to the editor in local newspapers about the need for improved sewage infrastructure.  

The Maryland Freedom Swim event continues to this day. Over 300 people signed up this year, including about 50 kayaks, as well as paddleboards and motorboats. It’s a veritable flotilla in support of river protection and swimmable waterways. It’s a great way to raise awareness of the river and the need to protect it from pollution, It also utilizes Matt’s passions and interests to forward his goals of environmental stewardship.

“My philosophy has become this: people protect what they feel connected to. That is why I encourage people to get out and experience the river however they can. Swim in it. Paddle it. Fish it. Walk its shorelines. Watch the sunrise over it,” says Matt. “Those experiences create personal connections, and connections create advocates. Ultimately, we need as many advocates for the river as possible.”