Second Annual 'Sweep the Hooch' Cleanup this Weekend

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Trout Unlimited and the National Park Service hope to welcome nearly 600 volunteers to “Sweep the Hooch” for the second consecutive year, this weekend.

Saturday, April 14, the massive, multi-site cleanup will cover the 48 miles of the river that run through the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

Volunteers all along the river, including in Roswell, will divide up into three groups – paddlers, waders and walkers – as they roam their 21 sites picking up trash. Last year, the debris collected included everything from aluminum cans and plastic bottles to car tires and even a kitchen sink. The result was nearly 360 volunteers picking up 3.3 tons of trash – including 1,500 pounds of recyclable material thanks to a partnership with Remix Recycling.

In North Fulton - and Roswell in particular - paddlers are needed to leave from Jones Bridge (Fulton Side) to Garrard Landing (4 miles), Garrard Landing to Island Ford (5 miles), Azalea Park (in and out) (3 miles), Morgan Falls Park (above dam, in and out), Morgan Falls Park to Powers Island (6 miles). Paddlers will be utilizing kayaks and canoes and traveling between 5-7 miles per segment. Kayaks/Canoes are useful in collecting debris from portions of the river which will not be accessed from the land side. Volunteers must provide their own kayaks and/or canoes.

“This is a great start,” UCR Events and Outreach Director Tammy Bates said, “but it is just a start. We work tirelessly throughout the year to keep our river clean, and we encourage folks to join us during our many paddle and regular cleanups in 2012.”

During 2011, UCR pulled 23 tons of trash out of our waterways, and 1.6 tons recycled.)

Go online now to register. Registration closes tomorrow night at midnight.