River Sweep seeks helping hands.
STEUBENVILLE — The JB Green Team organizers are requesting volunteers to participate in the 28th-annual River Sweep set for June 17.
The cleaning campaign will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. “Anyone who would like to make a difference in the water quality of the Ohio River Valley can volunteer for the collection of trash and debris along the Ohio River in Jefferson or Belmont counties,” said E. Louise Holliday of the JB Green Team.
Holliday said FirstEnergy’s W.H.
Sammis Plant in Stratton has donated $500 for the local River Sweep as well as trash bags, safety glasses, gloves and safety kits for the 2017 Ohio River Sweep.
It is the largest environmental event of its kind and encompasses six states from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Ill., according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission.
The River Sweep is sponsored by ORSANCO and other state and local environmental agencies from Pennsylvania to Illinois.
ORSANCO is the water pollution control agency for the Ohio River and its tributaries.
In 2016, more than 11,000 people from six states volunteered for the Ohio River Sweep at 180 cleanup sites in 90 counties along 3,000 miles of shoreline on the Ohio River and several of its tributaries,” she noted.
Those wanting to volunteer or have a site of their own can contact the JB Green Team at (740) 266-6899 or e-mail Holliday at lholliday@jbgreenteam.org.