The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has opened registration for its 15th annual "Sweep the Hooch" cleanup event coming up next month.
The event calls on volunteers to help clear trash and debris from the Chattahoochee River Basin, much of which is in Northeast Georgia, including Lake Lanier.
“Sweep the Hooch began as an ambitious project to clean up the Chattahoochee,” Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Outings Director Tammy Bates said. “It has steadily grown into an event that people look forward to year after year. The impact is undeniable: since 2010, we’ve seen our volunteer base more than triple and the amount of trash removed increase nearly tenfold. It’s a testament to how communities truly care about the Chattahoochee River and all the people and wildlife who depend on it.”
Numbers released by the organization show last year's "Sweep the Hooch" cleared more than 32 tons of trash from the basin with the help of over 1,000 volunteers.
This year's event will be held on Saturday, March 22. A total of 60 locations along the Chattahoochee River will be used as sites for trash cleanup, including 11 in Northeast Georgia:
- City of Cornelia
- City of Sugar Hill
- Cool River Headwaters Outpost (Helen)
- Don Carter State Park (Hall County)
- Gainesville Parks and Recreation
- Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
- Lake Lanier Association (Gainesville)
- Oconee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited (Athens)
- Soque River Watershed Association (Clarkesville)
- Unicoi Outfitters (Helen)
- White County 4H
