A big cleanup effort is underway on the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids. Volunteers are helping city workers pluck trash from the waterway this week. Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Superintendent Daniel Gibbins says the drought has exposed a large portion of the river bed and a lot of garbage.
“I’ve talked with people who’ve lived here their whole lives and they’ve never seen (the river) this low, so it’s a great opportunity,” Gibbins said. Much of the trash has been sitting in the river for decades, but a lot of it came from the flood of 2008.
“Just about anything you can imagine, from metal to old industrial materials,” Gibbins said of the materials they’re finding in the river. “Of course, there’s the normal trash bags and plastic bottles. You never know what you’re going to find, so it’s a little bit of a scavenger hunt.”
Volunteers who want to help with the cleanup effort are asked to report to Masaryk Park, wear boots and bring gloves.
Find out more here: www.cedar-rapids.org/things-to-see-do/events-programs/Lists/CityEvents/DispForm.aspx?Id=1475
By Jill Kasperie, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids