The annual Rivers Alive cleanup is quickly approaching.

Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful (KCNB) needs local residents, river enthusiasts, outdoor lovers and anyone interested to help clean up local rivers, lakes and streams Saturday, Oct. 11 at 9 a.m. The group will meet at Longhorn Steakhouse of Covington before being split into groups to tackle local water sources.

T-shirts are on a first-come/first-serve basis for sizes. If you need a boat rental, you can make arrangements directly with the Porterdale Yak Club.

The cleanup event will begin at 9 a.m. with registration. Maps will be available with locations of trash pickup, and for those going by boat, the Yellow River Water Trail committee recommends you proceed to Mt. Tabor Bridge access.

At 10 a.m. there will be a fish species display by Michael Wolfe. Everyone is asked to return to the Porterdale Yellow River Park for a weighing and counting of the trash that has been picked up.

Lunch will be served at 2 p.m., compliments of the City of Porterdale and grillmaster Robert Witcher.

Rivers Alive is sponsored by KCNB each year, with more than 300 participants each year, according to a KCNB press release. The river cleanup event is designed to bring awareness to water pollution prevention and solutions for water pollution problems while “actively removing litter from local waterways.”

“We appreciate all of the volunteers who participate every year, and we welcome those new to the event. Our goal is to continue to group the Rivers Alive event each year and bring greater awareness to the necessity of litter and pollution prevention,” said Laurie Riley, director of KCNB.

Volunteers are asked to wear shoes and long pants and prepare to get “at least a little wet.” T-shirts and free breakfast will be provided while supplies last.

The local cleanup is a collaborative effort organized by KCNB and the Georgia Wildlife Federation. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program and the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation sponsor Rivers Alive on a state level.

Interested volunteers should visit kcnb.biz to print registration forms, which should be filled out and emailed or faxed to KCNB to reserve their supplies. Volunteers interested in designating certain places for groups to clean should email Phillips at rphillips@gwf.org.

For more information, email newtonclean@co.newton.ga.us or call 770-784-2015.