Chattahoochee Riverkeeper will host its 13th annual Sweep the Hooch watershed-wide trash clean-up Saturday.
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is a non-profit organization that advocates for the protection of the Chattahoochee River. The organization hosts its Sweep the Hooch event as part of its Trash-free Chattahoochee initiative.
"It's our drinking water," Headwaters Outreach Manager Mallory Pendleton said. "Seventy percent of [metro] Atlanta, that is exactly where our water is coming from out of our faucets."
According to CRK online, the 'watershed area North of Atlanta is among the nation's smallest to serve a major metropolitan area,' and it collects several tons of trash annually, Pendleton said.
"After years of doing this, you would think that the trash would slowly start decreasing, but unfortunately, we see it hover around 35 to 45 tons and that's a good estimate on what I think we'll see again this year," she said.
CRK will host more than 60 clean-up sites from 9 am to noon Saturday at watershed locations ranging from Helen to Lagrange. So far, around 1,300 volunteers have registered for the event; however, the organization is searching for more help.
"We definitely could use a little more help in our Helen sites, so there are spots still available for those, as well as a few sites at Lake Lanier," Pendleton said.
Volunteers must be at least 10 years old to participate, and depending on location, volunteers may walk, wade, or paddle during the clean-up.
"Each site is a little different, but if there is that paddling option on the water, everybody is going to bring their own watercraft. But if [volunteers] aren't [paddling], just bring in clothes they can get dirty in, a good ol' water bottle because we got to have people stay hydrated, and if they want to bring a snack, that's all we ask," Pendleton said.
Registration closes Wednesday, March 22, at noon.
For a link to register, visit CRK online.
