Chattahoochee River cleanup Sweep the Hooch set for March 23

Credit: Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

As part of its commitment to achieving a trash-free Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) is hosting its 14th annual Sweep the Hooch river cleanup on Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to noon.

This watershed-wide day of service brings together more than 1,500 volunteers at dozens of parks, tributaries, and access points along the Chattahoochee to clean up litter.

Volunteers are equipped with gloves and trash bags before setting out on foot, wading in streams, or paddling canoes and kayaks to collect trash of all shapes and sizes for proper recycling and disposal.

This year, volunteers can choose to participate at one of more than 60 cleanup sites, beginning at the river’s headwaters in North Georgia and continuing along the river as far south as Columbus, Georgia. Sweep the Hooch is presented in collaboration with the National Park Service’s Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which will host 15 cleanup sites within the park boundaries.

Since 2011, thousands of Sweep the Hooch volunteers have collectively removed 236 tons of trash and recyclables from the Chattahoochee watershed.

“Sweep the Hooch has brought together so many communities, spread over 200 river miles, to protect and enjoy all the Chattahoochee has to offer,” Tammy Bates, CRK Outings Director, said in a press release. “Each year we recruit more volunteers and remove more trash, making this a truly impactful day of service to the waterways that we all rely on and enjoy.”

Volunteers can sign up for a cleanup site near them at sweepthehooch.org. Participation is free, but individual registration is required. CRK will provide necessary supplies and will thank volunteers for their dedication with a one-year membership to the organization.

Teams, clubs, and community groups are welcome to participate, but are encouraged to sign up early; once a site reaches capacity, registration for that site will close.

For more information about CRK, visit chattahoochee.org.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.