The annual Iowa River Clean-up, an event in which volunteers haul trash out of the river with the use of canoes, is scheduled Saturday, September 14. This year, the clean-up will cover a 9.5-mile stretch from Sturgis Ferry boat ramp, located on S. Riverside Drive south of Hwy. 6 in Iowa City, to Hills Access, a rural park located adjacent to the Iowa River one-half mile east of Hills on 520th Street.
Paddlers in canoes who can work on the river, as well as volunteers who can help pick up trash on the riverbanks, offload it from canoes, or sort collected materials for recycling, are needed. All volunteers must register in advance at www.iarvcp.org. A limited number of canoes will be available for loan to volunteers who register and request one before September 6.
Volunteers who will be working in canoes are asked to drop their gear at the Sturgis Ferry boat ramp at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the event, and then drive their vehicles to Hills Access, where all paddlers will check in at 7 a.m. A shuttle bus will leave Hills Access at 7:30 a.m. to return paddlers to Sturgis Ferry, where canoes will launch at 8 a.m. There will not be a second shuttle back to Iowa City at the end of the clean-up trip. Other volunteers who will be working on land are asked to meet at Hills Access at noon to begin offloading and sorting materials.
The river clean-up has been held each year since 2006, as long as safe river conditions exist. In the past two years, more than 25 tons of trash have been removed from the river and its banks, most of which was recycled. Materials pulled from the river this year will be sorted into piles of metal, glass, plastic and tires, and items that can't be recycled will be taken to the Landfill. Carol Sweeting, City of Iowa City Volunteer Coordinator, stated that this year's record low water levels offer another opportunity to remove even more long-standing trash from the riverbed.
"We'll be able to clear garbage and debris from areas that are normally under water. The paddlers will be digging items out of the river and from sandbars and floating them downriver to an offload point," she said. Sweeting also explained the importance of the annual river clean-up by stating, "This event not only helps make the river safer for recreational use, but also protects the quality, integrity and future of this important water resource."
The Sturgis Ferry-to-Hills Access leg is part of the Iowa River Water Trail, which offers scenic views of the river, the rural countryside, and area wildlife as it makes its way to the Mississippi River. The clean-up, which is being organized by the City of Iowa City Stormwater Division, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Project AWARE, Iowa Flood Center, and the Johnson County Conservation Board, is a National Rivers Clean-up-sanctioned event.
For more information about the event, visit www.iarvcp.org or contact Carol Sweeting atcarol-sweeting@iowa-city.org or 319.541.2385. Paddlers may also call Dan Ceynar at 319/321-1755 for more information.