On September 21st, MetroParks of Butler County and the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District will host the annual Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River in Butler County. At this annual event volunteers of all ages and backgrounds help clean the full length of the Great Miami River stretching from Indian Lake to the Ohio River.
The Clean Sweep began in 1986 as a way for people to come together and take pride in the Great Miami and its river communities. Since then, an estimated 1,250 volunteers remove 850 tons out of the Great Miami River during the Clean Sweep every year. That’s close to three Boeing 777s worth of trash!
While most of that trash pulled from the Great Miami has been exactly what you’d expect from a river cleanup, there have been a few surprises. Over the last several years, volunteers up and down the river corridor discovered a wad of 1,500 coat hangers, a popped safe, four, eight-foot diameter wood spools, and even the skull cap of an 2,500-3,000-year-old adolescent boy from the Adena culture.
Why does the Great Miami River matter?
The Great Miami River is one of the most important waterways in southwest Ohio. While the river itself is only 170 miles in length, there are over 6,600 miles of creeks, streams and adjoining rivers that connect to it. These linked waterways make up the Great Miami River watershed, which is the main source of fresh drinking water for an estimated 2.3 million people across the region.
Since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the number of pollutants dumped into the Great Miami River and its connected waterways has diminished. However, humans still remain the #1 cause of water-quality issues in the area. Nutrient loading in local waterways from farmland runoff, wastewater treatment and sewage contributes to potentially harmful algal blooms in Ohio’s streams and rivers. Stormwater systems are a fantastic feat of human engineering, but they also contribute to the distribution of pollutants originating in our neighborhoods to our local waterbodies. Trash, chemicals and more are carried from our backyards directly into our waterways and pollute the Great Miami River.
What can I do to help?
If you’re looking to “Get wet… Get dirty… Get involved” come out and join us for the 2024 Clean Sweep. Together, we can make the Great Miami healthier and more beautiful.
Click here for more details on the Great Miami River Watershed.
About the Author:
Daniel Clepper is MetroParks of Butler County’s Manager of Volunteer Resources.
One response to “2024 Clean Sweep”
I found this to be very interesting. I would love to volunteer.