Environmental Progress - Winter-Spring 2004

Ohio River Sweep

Volunteers are cleaning up 3,000 miles of shoreline

The 16th Ohio River Sweep, a multi-state effort to clean the banks of the Ohio River of trash, litter and debris, has been set for Saturday, June 19, 2004.

The annual event, organized by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, unites volunteers from Pittsburgh, PA to Cairo, IL, and has grown to encompass more than 3,000 miles of shoreline.

In Illinois, the Illinois EPA coordinates the effort in the six counties bordering the Ohio River. At least one cleanup area is designated in Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Pope, Hardin and Gallatin counties and is carried out by volunteers. For their efforts, each volunteer receives a free tee shirt, and at many sites, local businesses provide snacks and refreshments. Work gloves and collection bags are provided to the volunteers. Several hundred volunteers are expected to participate.

Byron Marks, Illinois EPA coordinator for the Sweep, says volunteer participation is the key to the success of the project. Participation has grown from the first cleanups, but the volume and size of litter removed from the river has declined — a sign, he says, that the public is becoming more aware of the importance of protecting our rivers. In 1990, about 1,200 bags of debris were collected along the state's 133 miles of Ohio River banks. Recent cleanups produced 600 to 800 bags of trash, containing items from lost class rings to television sets, auto and truck tires, towropes, and a working cellular phone. Litter collected is sorted and sent for appropriate disposal. Locations of sites can be obtained from the Sweep's toll-free Hotline at 1-800-359-3977.

Pulaski County - Olmsted
Curtis Marshall & Dixie Walters - Site Coordinators
P.O. Box 188
Olmsted, IL 62970

Massac County - Fort Massac State Park
Terry Johnson - Site Coordinator
1308 East 5th Street Metropolis, IL 62960
Phone: 618-524-4712

Pope County - Golconda Area
Arlin Rhoads - Site Coordinator
Route 3, Box 46-N
Golconda, IL 62938

Hardin County - Cave in Rock State Park
Mike Gullett - Site Coordinator
P.O. Box 338
Cave in Rock, IL 62919
Phone: 618-289-4325

Gallatin County - Old Shawneetown
Steve Galt - Site Coordinator
9200 Duncan Lane
Shawneetown, IL 62984
Phone: 618/269-3040

ANCO has a toll-free number for anyone wanting more information on the Ohio River Sweep. The number is
1-800-359-3977.

If you are interested in participating, please contact your local site coordinator. For any additional information, contact Byron Marks at the Illinois EPA Marion office at 618-993-7200.