HCWA hosting Rivers Alive annual cleanup to protect water quality
The Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) and Henry County Stormwater Management are hosting the annual Henry County Rivers Alive waterway cleanup on Thursday Oct. 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Walnut Creek Watershed Area located behind the Aaron’s and Home Depot in McDonough, at Henry Town Center near the Jonesboro Road/I-75 interchange.
Henry County Rivers Alive is an official event of the Georgia Rivers Alive Campaign. Rivers Alive is Georgia’s Annual Waterway Cleanup, which targets all waterways in the state, including creeks, streams, rivers, lakes/reservoirs, beaches, and wetlands. The mission of Georgia Rivers Alive, which is a Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Outreach Program, is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water resources.
“We welcome volunteers to participate in this annual cleanup, which helps us protect our water quality,” says Lindsey Sanders, HCWA Communications and Regulatory Coordinator. “Any trash and debris we can remove will benefit the water treatment processes at our water plants, since everything thrown on the ground eventually ends up in a water source, such as a creek, stream, river, or reservoir. That’s the primary objective of Rivers Alive – to keep our water resources clean and safe, because that’s where our drinking water comes from.”
This year’s theme for Henry County Rivers Alive is: “Be the solution for water pollution!” The site of this year’s cleanup is near Walnut Creek, which is a critically important local water body for the HCWA to protect.
Volunteers should bring heavy-duty work gloves, a source of hydration, sunscreen, and insect repellant. They should also consider wearing long pants and a long-sleeve shirt, covered shoes or boots, and a hat. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old, with a parent or guardian present if they are younger than 16. All volunteers must sign a waiver.
For more information, please visit the Rivers Alive page within the Community Events section of this website here, where registration forms and waivers are available.
Also, volunteers can contact Lindsey Sanders, HCWA Communications and Regulatory Coordinator, at 678-583-3809 or lindsey.sanders@hcwa.com.
#
Media Contact: Chris Wood, Ph.D.
P: 770-757-1681
E: chris@jwapr.com or john.wood@gcsu.edu