Published On: 08.07.23 | 

By: Alabama News Center Staff

Renew Our Rivers volunteers ready to make a difference with fall cleanups

The summer cleanup along Valley Creek kicks off the Renew Our Rivers fall calendar. (Jefferson County Department of Health)

After taking a brief break, volunteers are gearing up for the fall schedule of Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanups, beginning in urban Jefferson County on Saturday, Aug. 12.

People from across the Birmingham area, and beyond, are encouraged to take part in the annual summertime cleanup along Valley Creek, which flows from downtown Birmingham for more than 40 miles before joining the Black Warrior River. Last March, the annual springtime Valley Creek cleanup kicked off the 2023 schedule of community ROR events.

Multiple partners are involved in helping remove trash from Valley Creek, which supports numerous plant and animal species but also faces environmental challenges because of its location in Alabama’s largest metropolitan area.

Among those supporting the Valley Creek cleanups are Storm Water Management Authority, Inc. and the Jefferson County Department of Health, the cities of Birmingham and Bessemer storm water programs, Alabama Power, the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust and Keep Birmingham Beautiful, and the Jefferson County Commission. Also supporting the cleanup are the cities of Birmingham, Bessemer, Brighton, Hueytown, Lipscomb, Midfield, Fairfield and Pleasant Grove.

To date, over 80 tons of trash and debris have been removed from Valley Creek and surrounding roadways through the annual spring and summer cleanups.

The Aug. 12 Valley Creek cleanup will take place at five locations in Jefferson County:

https://youtu.be/qOE3P1HNc28

The cleanups at all locations begin at 8:30 a.m. and end around 11 a.m. All ages are welcome but volunteers ages 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, click here.

Here’s the list of other, upcoming ROR cleanups slated through the rest of 2023. Dates are subject to change:

Sept. 8: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy, 205-529-5981

 Sept. 14-15: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason, msgjeason@yahoo.com

 Sept: 20-21: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact Roger Treglown, 205-300-5253

 Sept: 22-23: Village Creek (Jefferson County)
Contact: Marilyn Roberts, marilynvilcreek@bellsouth.net,
205-798-0087

Sept. 25- 30: Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Lisa Dover, 256-549-0900

Oct. 3: Dog River (Mobile County)
Contact: Catie Boss, 251-829-2146 or clboss@southernco.com

Oct. 4-5: Mobile River (Plant Barry)
Contact: Jeff Reeves, 251-829-2746

Oct.7: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann, 205-910-3713

Oct. 12: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: Dan Patten 205-488-2081, dpatten@southernco.com

October 13-14: Lake Demopolis
Contact: Jason Arledge, cjarledg@southernco.com

Oct. 24-26: Lake Harris (Tallapoosa River-Lake Wedowee)
Contact: Crystal White, 256-396-5093, or Marlin Glover, 770-445-0824

Nov. 3-4: Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River)
Contact: John Thompson, 334-399-3289 or https://www.lmra.info/contact-us

Since its inception in 2000, Renew Our Rivers has grown into one of the nation’s largest river cleanup campaigns. With the help of numerous public and private partners and community organizations, more than 117,000 volunteers have removed more than 16 million pounds of trash from Southeastern waterways.

“For almost 25 years, volunteers across the state have been making a difference, helping clean our creeks, our rivers and our lakes through Renew Our Rivers,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power vice president of Environmental Affairs. “It’s a partnership that keeps on giving, in support of nurturing and protecting Alabama’s unique natural resources.”

For the latest updates about Renew Our Rivers cleanups, click here.