Saturday, November 14, was a great day for the Satilla River. Satilla Riverkeeper held its annual Rivers Alive cleanup at six river access sites across five counties from Coffee to Charlton. With the help of numerous partners and sponsors, Satilla Riverkeeper gathered about 130 volunteers for a morning cleanup along the Satilla River and enjoyed an ESG Inc. sponsored lunch at Rep. Chad Nimmer’s Fish Camp along the Satilla River in Pierce County.
These efforts were rewarded with impressive results. Nearly 300 bags of trash, 20 tires, a mattress, and a roll of carpet were collected throughout the watershed. This totaled to an estimated 10,000 pounds of trash! This could not have been accomplished without the various sponsors of the event, the site leaders, and the numerous volunteers who came out in droves to improve their Satilla River.
Satilla Riverkeeper’s goal with the Rivers Alive program is to help remedy the chronic trash problems on the Satilla River, particularly at popular river access locations, that negatively impact the river’s water quality, wildlife, fishes, and the public’s recreational experience on the water. Satilla Riverkeeper is working with partners to establish the first Satilla River Water Trail, promoting safe and responsible river recreation.
The organization is also hoping to work with local municipalities whose insufficient waste management contributes to trash issues on the river, such as Pierce County and Ware County. Each of these counties have roughly only 50% of their county residents subscribed to curbside trash pickup, leaving a greater likelihood for illegal dumping, trash burning, burying, and blowing out of vehicles on the way to transfer stations. This has led to litter issues in the community and is negatively impacting the Satilla River.
Rivers Alive is Georgia’s annual volunteer waterway cleanup event that targets all waterways in the state including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches, and wetlands, while creating awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water resources.
Special thanks goes to all the community partners of this event, which include the Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division, Rivers Alive Program and Coastal Resources Division, ESG Operations Inc, Advanced Disposal, Republic Services, the Satilla River Water Trail partnership, Carter Environmental, Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, South Georgia State College, College of Coastal Georgia Biology Club, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, Friends of the Satilla River, City of Waycross, City of Douglas, Wilbur James Tire Pros and Kevin Manders Premier Designs & Consulting, Inc.
– Submitted