St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-062

Volunteers organize river cleanup for Sept. 19 in Putnam County

PALATKA, Fla., Sept. 11, 2009 - Volunteers in Putnam County will be out in force on Saturday, Sept. 19, to show the St. Johns River a little "TLC" -- tender loving cleanup.

The Watershed Action Volunteer (WAV) Program of the St. Johns River Water Management District is teaming up with Keep Putnam Beautiful to mobilize local residents in helping to beautify and protect the area's treasured waterways and adjacent trails.

The event will pull together community volunteers to remove trash in and along the river, its walkways and canals. Individuals and groups in the area are invited and encouraged to participate. Volunteers with boats are especially needed.

There will be four cleanup sites in Putnam County: Veterans Park, East Palatka boat ramp, Brown's Landing and Murphy's Island.

Volunteers will gather at 8 a.m. at the Palatka Riverfront Veterans Park, where supplies will be distributed. Water and gloves will be provided during the event, and refreshments will be available afterward. Volunteers may want to bring bug repellent. If under age 18, volunteers must be accompanied by an adult.

The Putnam County activities will be part of the International Coastal and Waterway Cleanup event, which is sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, a global nonprofit organization. Last year, 400,000 volunteers from around the world disposed of 6.8 million pounds of trash as part of this event.

The District established the WAV Program to engage individuals in educating others, collecting data and conducting projects related to water conservation, water quality, stormwater management and pollution prevention. WAV is active in 14 counties within the District's 18-county service area. It matches committed individuals with WAV coordinators, who train and equip volunteers for a variety of important tasks so that volunteers can help make a difference in their communities.

Earlier this month, WAV Program participants marked 172 storm drains in Putnam County to remind residents that pollutants in stormwater runoff may contain sediment, debris and harmful chemicals that can be transported to local waterways.

Those interested in volunteering or who would like additional information are asked to contact Putnam County WAV Coordinator Jose Artigas at wavflaglerputnam@sjrwmd.com or (386) 290-5316.

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