COLUMBUS - More than 10,000 volunteers picked up tons of trash this weekend along the Chattahoochee River as part of the annual cleanup. <br>
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The effort has gained volunteers - and attention - over the last few years and it's starting to make a difference, said William Kent of Columbus Water Works. <br>
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Exactly how many tons of trash was plucked from streams and their slopes won't be known for a couple of weeks. <br>
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``For the past few years, our volunteer numbers have been up, but the tonnage has been lower, which tells us we're having an impact,'' Kent said. <br>
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People are thinking before tossing their trash onto roadsides, which means there's less to pick up than when ``Help the Hooch River Cleanup'' began eight years ago. <br>
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The project cleaned the area in Columbus, Fort Benning and Phenix City, Ala. <br>
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Shaw High School science teacher Patricia Spenard said she sees the same things every year under bridges and near riverbanks bottles, fishing line, beer cans, food wrappers and pieces of Styrophome.
