Environmental Progress - Summer 2005

The Ohio River flows for 981 miles before it enters the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois, with the last 133 of those river miles forming the southeastern Illinois border. The Ohio provides drinking water to more than three million people; 25 million people live within its basin; and more than 150 species of fish have been taken from its waters. Unfortunately, some people also see it as a watery dump for unwanted objects.

The litter detracts from the natural beauty of the river, and can impact its water quality, so to clean up the banks and to make the public aware of the problem, the Ohio Valley Water Sanitation Commission in 1989 launched an unprecedented river cleanup — a "Sweep" that on one day would run the entire length of the river, through six states, along more than 1900 miles of shoreline. The Illinois EPA became a participant in 1990 and has joined the effort every year since, operating cleanup sites in each of the six Illinois counties that border the river.

Byron Marks, from the IEPA's Marion regional office, has coordinated the efforts through those years. He can look back on a series of successful cleanups as volunteers in the first few years hauled 1,000 bags and more of junk from the river on each outing. In recent years, the amount of trash being collected has diminished, indicating people are becoming more aware of the importance of rivers as sources of drinking water, habitat for aquatic life, and recreational and scenic resources. Still, each sweep generates several hundred bags of debris.

There have also been some unanticipated results. In 1991, the Ohio River Sweep won a national Take Pride in America award and Marks, as the Illinois coordinator, traveled to Washington. During ceremonies at the White House Marks received a plaque for his efforts from Actress Linda Evans. A few years later, he was designated a "Superman of Metropolis" in ceremonies held, appropriately enough, at Ft. Massac State Park in Metropolis, Ill.

As might be expected, some strange things have emerged during 17 years of dragging debris from the river banks. There was the large, formerly frozen turkey still in its plastic wrappings, a split bowling ball, and a flip cell phone, still in working order. Probably the most unusual item was a 1979 class ring from the Metropolis high school, wrapped with yarn to fit a young lady's finger, that had flown into the river 12 years earlier when the wearer was skipping stones into the river with the ring's owner, her boy friend. Sweep officials were able to identify the owner and return his ring. Sadly, he and the young lady had gone separate ways, but at least he got his ring back.

Over the years the sweep has occasionally been postponed because of water levels so high as to be unsafe. Volunteers have turned out in high heat and humidity, and on chill and blustery days. The 2005 sweep, on June 16, had "the most beautiful day I've ever seen for the Sweep," Marks said.