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River Sweep

AN ARMY of volunteers from the area will join forces this Saturday to help clean up the Ohio Valley’s most notable natural feature – the Ohio River.

This annual event brings together literally tens of thousands of volunteers from the six states that border the river and scores of corporate sponsors.

Each year, more than 3,000 miles of shoreline along the Ohio River, in addition to portions of the Allegheny, Monongahela, Beaver and Kentucky rivers, are cleaned as part of the huge effort.

Collection sites will be located at various points along the rivers. All counties along the Ohio River are expected to participate in the River Sweep, and with the effort extending into many tributaries along the river in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, this year’s event is expected to be the biggest undertaking of its kind in the annual event’s history.

First organized in 1989, the River Sweep is designed not only to collect litter and discarded debris that accumulates along the mighty Ohio River’s banks, but also to raise awareness of the existing litter problem and to take steps to rectify the situation.

Annually, more than 20,000 volunteers participate in the effort stemming from and going beyond the Ohio River’s origin in Pittsburgh and 980 miles to its end at the Mississippi River near Cairo, Ill. More than 10,000 tons of trash are normally collected each year during the River Sweep.

Organizers stress that a clean river helps enhance the water quality for millions of people. It also helps protect a wide reaching wildlife environment.

The Ohio River is one of our most important natural resources. Those who volunteer for projects like the annual River Sweep take pride in their community, and that pride like the river itself can flow far beyond our little corner of the world.

People have lived along the banks of the river for hundreds, even thousands of years. It’s our duty as residents of this river valley to help protect it. The name “Ohio River” is somewhat redundant, since the word “Ohio” is derived from the Iroquoian word meaning “great river.”

Let’s play a role as responsible valley residents living in this period of the Ohio River’s long history and help keep it “great.”

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