With more than 40 Rivers Alive-related cleanups scheduled statewide this fall, Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) and Henry County Stormwater Management employees will “dump” the annual Henry County Rivers cleanup this month. By hosting Alive Cleanup, it did its part. Site at 1603 Leicester Mill Road.
Other Rivers Alive events scheduled this month include cleanups in Clayton County, Walton County, Griffin, Macon, and Warner Robins, Augusta, Savannah, and other communities with cleanups in November.
Rivers Alive is Georgia’s annual waterway clean-up initiative for streams, streams, rivers, lakes/reservoirs, beaches and wetlands throughout the state. The mission of Rivers Alive, an outreach program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), is to create awareness and engagement in protecting Georgia’s water resources.
Most recently, this year’s Henry County Rivers Alive cleanup, which people used to “dump,” negatively impacted two of the Water Authority’s drinking water reservoirs.
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The location of this year’s Henry County Rivers Alive Cleanup is surrounded by HCWA’s Gardner Reservoir and Long Branch Reservoir, increasing the importance of keeping this site clean for drinking water quality. Henry County Rivers Alive is an opportunity for HCWA and Henry County Stormwater staff to work together to protect the region’s water resources.
“Henry County Rivers Alive is a focused effort to pick up harmful litter and debris in our local waterways,” says HCWA Environmental Compliance Coordinator Lindsey Sanders, who organized the local event. “Unfortunately, many people are unaware that the trash they leave behind today will remain there for hundreds of years and continue to cause pollution. Keeping the area clean is even more important.”
Twenty volunteers who participated in Henry County Rivers Alive were able to collect 1.59 tons of trash. A rubber tire front loader helped dispose of nearly 100 tires.
HCWA Project Manager Bill Banks, one of this year’s Henry County Rivers Alive volunteers, said: “We were able to remove a huge amount of garbage, and it was fun to participate in the cleaning activity.”
Officials say water resources, often taken for granted, are critical to the economic development and quality of life of local communities.
“It’s amazing what a group of hardworking volunteers can do in a few hours. We are so grateful for their dedication to cleaning up areas of our community that directly impact our environment and waterways,” Sanders said. says.
For more information on Henry County Rivers Alive, including a photo gallery of this year’s cleanup, visit the Henry County Water Authority website at www.hcwa.com.
