Over 300 volunteers helped clean up local waterways last year, and coordinators are expecting even more to participate in Rivers Alive this year. Volunteers in Covington will kick-off river cleanup events at the Covington square at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2.
Participants should wear closed-toe shoes and long pants and anticipate getting at least a little wet. Volunteers will receive t-shirts and free breakfast, while supplies last. They will split into teams and go to local streams, lakes, and rivers to clean. After a few hours of cleaning, groups will gather at the Georgia Wildlife Federation at 11600 Hazelbrand Road at noon for lunch.
Individuals, families, business, church, and neighborhood groups and school and civic clubs are encouraged to participate. Event coordinators are asking groups with more than 10 participants to pre-register. Registration forms and release forms can be found at www.kcnb.biz.
Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful and the Georgia Wildlife Federation coordinate Rivers Alive each October. This river cleanup event is designed to address water pollution prevention and provide solutions for water pollution problems. Local sponsors are the City of Covington and Newton County Board of Commissioners, providing t-shirts and breakfast for volunteers on the Covington square, and the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority, providing lunch for volunteers at the Georgia Wildlife Federation.
The event will feature groups cleaning along area rivers and tributaries. As groups meet on the square, they will be assigned to various access points along the Alcovy River, South River, and Yellow River and their tributaries. The local cleanup event is a collaborative effort organized by KCNB and GWF. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Keep Georgia Beautiful Program sponsor Rivers Alive on the state level.
"We appreciate the 300 volunteers we had last year, and we hope to see them again on Oct. 2, along with several new faces," said Robert Phillips of the Georgia Wildlife Federation. "We also want to recognize the City of Covington, Newton County Board of Commissioners and the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority, who gave generous donations to support our local event."
Following the cleanup, volunteers and interested citizens are encouraged to eat lunch and enjoy fun educational activities at the Georgia Wildlife Federation. For more information or to volunteer, please call Laurie Riley at (678) 625-5093 or send e-mail to lriley@co.newton.ga.us.
