More than 400 volunteers participated in the interstate Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission’s 28th Annual River Sweep this year in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver and Westmoreland counties. Volunteers at 15 cleanup sites, picked up more than 35 tons of trash and more than 55 tires.
“We are making an impact on our area waterways by picking up trash, debris and tires,” Pennsylvania River Sweep Coordinator Betsy Mallison said. “Our volunteers help keep our waterways clean for recreation and the protection of our water supplies.”
Strange items picked up include baby dolls, kiddie pool, football and a blender.
The River Sweep is an annual six-state effort to clean up litter and debris in the Ohio
River watershed and the largest organized volunteer river cleanup effort in the country. The event winds through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Illinois, covering more than 2,400 miles of shoreline.
In Pennsylvania, it is sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission and Pennsylvania corporate sponsors including Duquesne Light, Koppers, Neville Chemical Company, and EQT.
Many of the companies sponsored cleanup crews as part of the event. Giant Eagle donated water for volunteers. The City of Pittsburgh and waste haulers in the area helped with the collection and disposal of the waste picked up by the volunteers.
Volunteers received a souvenir T-shirt.
For more information, visit the ORSANCO River Sweep webpage.
(Photo: Grand Prize Winner Ohio River Sweep Poster Contest, Hannah Jones, Mr. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh.)
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