Etowah River Cleanup Set for Sept. 20 in Cherokee

Staff Report

In September Georgia residents begin to wade into rivers, lakes and coastal waters as part of the continuing statewide campaign to clean and preserve over 70,000 miles of Georgia’s rivers and streams. The effort is part of Rivers Alive, a program of the Environmental Protection Division Outreach Programs. The annual Georgia Waterway Cleanup is expected to once again be the largest single volunteer effort to beautify Georgia’s water resources.

Volunteers in Cherokee County will stage their Etowah River cleanup at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at Boling Park in Canton. They will be joining an estimated 30,000 other volunteers statewide participating in the annual river cleanup.

In the fall, over 200 cleanups will collect trash and similar debris in streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and the ocean from the Conasauga River in north Georgia to the St. Mary’s River in the southern part of the state.

“Last year we had small turnout of volunteers because it was so cold; this year we plan to make up for that with a big turnout,” said Lori Forrester of Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority. In addition to CCWSA, the cleanup in the Canton area will be sponsored by the Upper Etowah River Alliance, Cherokee County Stormwater Department, city of Canton, Cherokee County School District and Waste Management.

The Etowah River Clean-up is a long-standing event that has occurred each year since 1999. Throughout the years, an estimated 1,000 volunteers in Cherokee County and surrounding area have participated in the Etowah River clean-up.

The trash collected in and around the Etowah River during the clean-ups is significant. Last year with only 20 volunteers 70 bags of trash were collected along with larger items such as snow skis, box springs, and an office chair. Approximately 1,000 bags of trash have been removed in and around the Etowah River over the last 15 years.

Statewide, during the 2013 river cleanup, 27,833 volunteers cleaned 1,983 miles of waterways and removed over 614,844 pounds of trash and recyclables. The items included tires, plastic bottles, shopping carts and refrigerators from Georgia’s waterways, according to Harold Harbert, outreach manager with the Environmental Protection Division. Harbert expects Rivers Alive 2014 to involve thousands more volunteers and to continue to be the Georgia’s, and one of the South’s, largest volunteer efforts to beautify water resources.

To volunteer for the Etowah River cleanup, contact Lori Forrester at 770-479-1813 ext. 246. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign, visit the Rivers Alive website.

(Photo credit: Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority)