Third time's the charm; volunteers set for Rivers Alive cleanup

Tom Seegmueller, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·3 min read

Sep. 28—LEESBURG — They say, "The third times the charm," and Jim Wright and David Dixon certainly hope that proves to be the case this Saturday when the annual Rivers Alive cleanup is scheduled to take place. Two previous attempts by Lee County Rivers Alive were canceled, but the weather forecast for the coming clean-up should make for a beautiful day on the water.

Lee and Dougherty county officials are once again conducting a unified effort to clean the area waterways. Judy Bowles, Executive Director of Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful, is heading up the Dougherty Rivers Alive cleanup, which will focus on the Flint River starting at The Georgia Power Dam boat ramp for boaters that want to participate and ending at the Marine Ditch Landing. Participating boaters will cast-off at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers who want to help clean the river's bank will meet at the Albany Visitors Center and begin walking the river's banks at 8:30 a.m.

This is the 18th annual cleanup for Bowles.

"People rank water as the planet's most precious resource, and people are the solution to cleaning them up, if we pay attention to what we do," she said. "Over the last 17 years, we have collected 56.5 tons of litter and debris from the Flint River. I want to thank MolsonCoors for their sponsorship".

Lee County is rapidly becoming a paddling destination. Dixon, who is deeply involved with the Flint RiverKeeper and Rivers Alive, said, "There are approximately 21 'paddling' miles on the Kinchafoonee Creek in Lee County and an additional eight on the Muckalee Creek."

The eastern border of the county is defined by the Flint River, adding to these aquatic resources.

As the value of the resource becomes more apparent, the effort to clean and maintain waterways is growing. This year's effort will focus on the lower 11 miles of the Kinchafoonee and the lower 5.5 miles of the Muckalee, including Lake Chehaw. This year's clean-up will be divided into three sections: The first runs from the State Highway 32 landing to the Sandy Beach landing; the second from Sandy Beach to Sutton's Landing, with a final section running from Sutton's to Chehaw.

Scout Troop 15 is planning to focus on Lake Chehaw, starting at the Pirate's Cove Landing to Lake Chehaw, where they will focus on Boy Scout Island. Other organizations joining in the Lee County effort include the Leesburg Law Enforcement Explorers and the First Baptist Church of Leesburg Youth Group.

"We don't know how many people will participate this time," Wright said. "We initially had 130 signed up, but we had to postpone twice, and every time you postpone you can expect to cut those numbers in half."

During the past 13 years, Wright says that the cleanup has gathered 66,000 pounds of debris form the county's creeks.

"The total annual amount is decreasing and that's a good thing," he said.

Volunteers who want to join in on the efforts in Lee County can contact Lee Code Enforcement at (229) 759-6000 or the Lee County Chamber of Commerce at (229) 759-2422. Lee County Rivers Alive T-shirts will be given out the day of the event. Following the clean-up, the First Baptist Church of Leesburg will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, and a variety of sides for the volunteers.

Volunteers wanting to help in Dougherty County's Rivers Alive effort can register by calling Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful at (229) 302-3098.