Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup organizers honored by Rivers Alive

Published 7:15 pm Monday, June 12, 2023

Volunteers and stream cleanup organizers from across the state recently met in Atlanta to celebrate the accomplishments of the state’s largest volunteer cleanup program, Rivers Alive.

The Rivers Alive awards honor the efforts of individuals and groups who are working to improve Georgia’s waterways one trash bag at a time. Volunteers wade into rivers, lakes and coastal waters each fall as part of the continuing statewide campaign to clean and preserve more than 70,000 miles of Georgia waterways.

The Rivers Alive awards ceremony, held at Park Tavern, recognized groups of volunteers as well as individuals and businesses for their efforts in 2022. The Confluence award, which recognizes successful community partnerships, was awarded to organizers of the annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup. Confluence, defined as the flowing together of two or more streams, or rivers, clearly describes the coming together of local organizations for one purpose.

“Since joining in with the cleanup I have been astounded at the immense amount of pride and work this entire group puts toward keeping our river and communities clean.,” said Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Executive Director Amy Hartline, “It is inspiring to see people across many organizations and backgrounds join together to make a major difference for our planet.”

During the 2022 watershed cleanup 246 volunteers from Whitfield and Murray counties removed trash, debris and invasive plants from seven sites in the two counties. Overall, volunteers collected and removed 15,996 pounds of trash and 28 tires.

Event sponsors and organizers include Shaw Industries, Allchem, Engineered Floors, the Dalton Rotary Club, The Nature Conservancy, Rivers Alive, Dalton Utilities, Conasauga River Alliance, United Way of Northwest Georgia, Prater’s Mill Foundation, Dalton State College, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County Public Works, Limestone Valley RC&D, U.S. Forest Service, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Murray County and Whitfield County Extension, and Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful.

At the state level during the 2022 cleanup, 11,432 volunteers cleaned more than 623 miles of waterways and removed more than 401,285 pounds of trash and recyclables, a 1950s refrigerator, a 1960s TV, a rubber bulldog statue, a passport, an outrigger, tires and plastic bottles.

About Rivers Alive

Rivers Alive is a program of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division. Rivers Alive targets cleanups across all waterways in the state including rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water resources. To volunteer or participate in a local cleanup effort or to obtain more information about the statewide campaign, call (404) 463-1464 or go to www.riversalive.org.