Kentucky River Sweep

Bluegrass Goes Green

Did you know?

• A quarter of the worlds population is without safe drinking water.

• Less than 1% of the water treated by public water systems is used for drinking and cooking.

• In the time it took you to read these first three facts another child has just died in the developing world from unsafe drinking water.

• You could live for a month without food, but you would be dead after a week without water!

• 500,000 tons of pollutants pour into lakes and rivers each day in the US alone.

The bottom line…

Cleaner water is beneficial to everyone’s health, plus cleaner water is easier to treat and make reusable.

Riversweep makes the water cleaner!

Article in Richmond Register Newspaper inviting people to participate.

Cleaning up the county Several events scheduled

By Ronica Shannon Register News Writer

Volunteers are needed for the 18th annual Kentucky River Sweep scheduled for Saturday, June 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the beach area of Boonesborough State Park. The event is a collaboration between Madison and Clark counties. “It is very important for community members here from Madison County and others along the Kentucky River to participate to benefit our water quality in the Kentucky River,” said Scott Tussey, director of Madison County’s solid waste program. “This is the water we use for drinking and for recreation.” Trash bags and other trash-collection materials will be given to volunteers, and a cookout and T-shirt giveaway will be conducted after the event at the beach area. Tussey emphasized the importance of getting involved in the River Sweeps. “We should take care of the rivers now to prevent even further pollution,” Tussey said. “Events like River Sweep promote cleanup and make the public aware of where a lot of litter ends up in our streams, lakes and rivers.”

Ad in Richmond Register Newspaper

18th annual River Sweep Madison County’s River Sweep event, has been scheduled for Saturday, July 18 and will begin at 9 a.m. Volunteers from both Madison and Clark counties will be participating in the event, and will receive a free T-shirt and a cookout after the cleanup event. For details, call the Madison County Solid Waste Department at 624-4709 or Bluegrass Goes Green project members at BCTC in Clark County.

Article in Winchester Sun Newspaper Inviting Community to Participate

River Sweep planned for next weekend

By Mike Wynn July 10, 2009

The high waters of spring have receded. The boats are out. And thousands of pieces of trash have completed their annual journey down the Kentucky River in time for tourist season. Now solid waste officials are seeking volunteers to help clean up the mess on July 18 as part of the 18th annual Kentucky River Sweep, a statewide effort to remove unsightly and harmful garbage from along the banks of a major central Kentucky water source and recreational area. “We don’t want tourists coming to Fort Boonesborough and looking around and seeing a bunch of trash and stuff,” said Gary Epperson, Clark County solid waste coordinator. “We want people to think that we do have some concern for our environment, and we do want to have a clean environment.” The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fort Boonesborough State Park Beach. The Boonesborough Boat Club is providing river transportation, while organizers are furnishing T-shirts, garbage bags and a cookout lunch for volunteers. A rescue unit also will be on hand to provide water safety. The Kentucky River Authority first organized the event in 1991, coordinating efforts with local officials from communities along the river. Clark County Solid Waste Management teams up with Madison County Solid Waste Management to mobilize the endeavor locally. According to the authority, 42 counties are located in the Kentucky River basin, and the river supplies drinking water to more than 900,000 people. Epperson said the trash is composed mostly of floatable items such as plastic bottles, cans, tires and Styrofoam. It accumulates along the bank just below the dam, where the river’s hydrology creates a natural trap. “Even stuff that is pitched along the side of the road washes downstream,” Epperson said. “It’s right across from the beach, so it is very unsightly for tourists.” Although most of the garbage only causes aesthetic problems, some items such as oil cans and detergent bottles can contain pollutants that harm the river’s ecology. The water is cleaned before it reaches the faucet. But, Epperson said, “it’s easier to treat clean water than it is dirty water.” During the sweep, volunteers walk along the banks gathering the trash in bags for proper disposal. The cleanup is concentrated across from the beach, but often boats scour the banks for several miles on each side. Last year, about 70 volunteers collected more than 200 bags of trash, Epperson said. He recommended that participants bring sunscreen, sturdy shoes and gloves. “We want to encourage folks to come down,” said Epperson. Contact Mike Wynn at mwynn@winchestersun.com. Copyright: The Winchester Sun 2009

The beautiful scenic walk down to the beach.

Water has become highly Precious. There are some places where a barrel of water costs more than a barrel of oil.

Gary Wilson (blue UK polo), General Manager of Wal-Mart in Clark County, generously donated his time, along with food, trash bags, and gloves, for the

River Sweep. Michelle Rogers (yellow t-shirt), America’s Junior Miss also participated in the Riversweep.

Over 700,000 Kentuckians depend on the Kentucky River as a water source. From January 2000-May 2003, it was reported that there had been over 17,000 KPDES pollution violations on the Kentucky River. With pollution up that high, how could

anyone depend on THAT water!?

About 125 Volunteers came and supported this cause. Young People and elderly were just some in attendance.

Bobby Clark and daughter Amelia Clark of the “Bluegrass Goes Green” program participated in the annual clean-up.

Not only do humans depend on this water, but animals as well.

River Sweep volunteer boat drivers.

Volunteer boat drivers transporting trash and debris to dump trucks stationed at the docks.

A volunteer wearing a River Sweep 2009 T-Shirt.

Clean water through local commitment and action.

Melody’s future is depending on this river as a water source… So let’s keep it clean!

Marquita and others picking up the various debris and trash along the shoreline.

Maria picking up trash off of the shoreline.

Ryan standing next to debris pulled from the shoreline.

More than 300 bags of trash were filled up with trash… These were just a few of them.

Tires, plastic bottles and glass were just some of the trash and debris picked up along the river.

(Marquita Hampton and Dwight Back pictured)

“Its 18 years in a row that we’ve picked up trash” said Gary Epperson, “Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to do things

like that?”

The pile up of trash waiting to be loaded up onto boats to be taken to the dump trucks stationed at the docks.

A Mountain Dew bottle not even finished that was left to decompose along the beach.

“There was an awful lot this year.” Said Gary Epperson. Here, Andrew Gabbard helps pick up trash also.

Marquita and Maria – We just finished picking up trash; About to prepare for the barbeque!

For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the

complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports.-Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

Marquita Hampton and Andrew Gabbard putting a cover over the table.

After a 5 hour clean-up a barbeque took place. Wal-Mart was generous enough to provide food for everyone.

Henry Braham was at the river sweep from the start of the event to the end of the event, the day was made possible by him doing the grilling of the food for all of the

volunteers who showed up.

The future of today’s children, depends on this water supply.

Winchester Sun Newspaper ArticleAnnual River Sweep on Saturday nets more than 300 bags of trash

By Mike Wynn July 20, 2009

Over the past 18 years, the annual Kentucky River Sweep has become something of a tradition in Clark County. But Solid Waste Coordinator Gary Epperson hopes to never do it again. “It’s 18 years in a row that we have had to pick up trash,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to do things like that?” Organizers staged the sweep on Saturday as part of a statewide effort to collect litter that accumulates along the banks and degrades the river’s water quality and appearance. During the five-hour event, about 125 volunteers picked up more than 300 bags of trash. “There was an awful lot this year,” Epperson said. “We cleaned up a big mess. There was a ton of plastic bottles and those kind of objects. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The litter, comprised mostly buoyant items such as plastic bottles and cans which float down the river during high-water season. The trash collects below the dam across from the Fort Boonesborough State Park Beach, where currents create a natural trap. Volunteers walk the banks each year during the sweep to gather the trash for proper disposal. According to the Kentucky River Authority, more that 900,000 Kentuckians rely on the river as a primary source for drinking water. The authority began organizing the event with communities along the river in 1991. This year, Epperson said the sweep benefited from a plethora of volunteers, the Boonesboro Boat Club and the Clark County Rescue Unit. Wal-Mart provided food. “We had a great turnout,” he said. “We just appreciate what everybody did.” Still, Epperson doubts the trash will disappear any time soon. “Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to happen in the next year or two, so we will do it again next year,” he said.

Contact Mike Wynn at mwynn@winchestersun.com. Copyright: The Winchester Sun 2009

Richmond Register Newspaper ArticleVolunteers ‘sweep’ river trash

By Brittany Davenport

Register News Writer

FORT BOONESBOROUGH — About 100 volunteers Saturday filled approximately 300 garbage bags of trash and debris from the banks of the Kentucky River during the 18th annual Kentucky River Sweep at the beach at Fort Boonesborough. The event was postponed from June this year because of high waters, said Amanda Bates, Madison County Solid Waste office assistant. “We really need to do this more than once a year,” Bates said. Volunteer Clinton Allen said he comes down every Thursday for around four hours to ride the river. “This is a beautiful place,” he said. “It’s such a shame that people trash up something like this, but it’s a lot better than it was 20 years ago.” The river sweep is really good for the community, said volunteer Marquita Hampton. “Nobody here does anything but recycling, including me,” she said. Hampton was with a volunteer group from Clark County’s Bluegrass Goes Green Summer Youth Program. The program, a competition among 11 counties in the state, is a chance for economically disadvantaged youth to develop the best county green plan, program coordinators said. Twenty-five counties in the Kentucky River Basin participated in river sweeps this year, said Sue Elliston, executive staff adviser for the Kentucky River Authority, who coordinates the events with local officials. This year’s sweep was a first for Madison County Solid Waste Coordinator Scott Tussey. “I think it’s been a very good turnout, you can see obviously that we’re making a difference,” he said. “We’re making a difference one spot at a time.” The Kentucky River Sweep is part of a national event that also includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The River Sweep began in 1990 as an initiative of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission and now includes the Kentucky River Authority, Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and West Virginia’s Make it Shine program. Brittany Davenport can be reached at 624-6624