Valley Creek volunteer cleanup in Alabama launches silver anniversary of Renew Our Rivers campaign
Volunteers pick up trash near Valley Creek in Birmingham during the first Renew Our Rivers cleanup of the year. (contributed)
Nearly 150 volunteers helped make communities along a historic waterway in Jefferson County, Alabama, a whole lot cleaner this past weekend during the 14th annual Valley Creek Cleanup, which also kicked off the 25th anniversary of the statewide Renew Our Rivers campaign.
Despite cloudy, ominous skies, volunteers converged at five sites near Valley Creek in Birmingham and Bessemer, the communities of Adger and Providence, and along Groundhog Road in Jefferson County.
The cleanup locations were strategic, stretching the length of the creek starting “near the toes of Vulcan all the way to the Black Warrior River,” said Hana Berres, education training coordinator for the Jefferson County Stormwater Program. She noted that the county and local municipalities pooled staff resources to support the cleanup.
“People send a positive message to others when they take the time to clean up litter from along their roadways and along creek banks,” Berres said. “They also see firsthand how unsightly litter is and how it accumulates and clogs storm drains.”
The cleanup signaled the start of Renew Our Rivers’ silver anniversary year. Since 2000, more than 131,000 volunteers have removed more than 16.7 million pounds of trash from waterways in Alabama and across the Southeast.
“I’m constantly inspired by the dedication of our volunteers,” said Mike Clelland, Renew Our Rivers coordinator in Alabama Power’s Environmental Affairs group. “For 25 years now, they’ve been showing up to help keep our waterways clean and beautiful.
“Every piece of trash removed is a step towards preserving these natural treasures for generations to come. We’re excited to continue the momentum this anniversary year, starting with the Valley Creek Cleanup,” Clelland said.
The 2024 Renew Our Rivers campaign includes more than two dozen cleanups scheduled around the state this spring and this coming fall. The next cleanup is slated for March 16-23 on Logan Martin Lake on the Coosa River. For the updated Renew Our Rivers schedule, click here.
Alabama Power partners with public agencies, nonprofits, and homeowner and boatowner organizations on Renew Our Rivers cleanups. This year’s cleanup events stretch from Alabama’s Gulf Coast to urban Birmingham, as well as communities in east and west Alabama, and on Alabama Power lakes as well as on rivers, creeks and streams.
Valley Creek stretches 46 miles through Jefferson County, draining 257 square miles of western Jones Valley. It originates from springs and drainage basins in Birmingham and flows southwest past Midfield and Bessemer, eventually merging into the Black Warrior River.
Like many urban streams, while Valley Creek’s water quality has improved in recent decades as industries added pollution controls, the creek continues to be adversely affected by polluted runoff from roadways, as well as urban litter that washes into the waterway.
Another urban stream in Jefferson County, Village Creek, faces similar challenges. A volunteer cleanup in the Minor Heights Community of Jefferson County near Village Creek is scheduled for March 23, with a second Village Creek cleanup slated for September.
To learn more about Renew Our Rivers and upcoming cleanups, visit the campaign’s web page at apcshorelines.com.
Renew Our Rivers is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. (Wynter Byrd / Alabama News Center)
