The welcome rains in January came with a deluge of trash swept into the river by the forces of nature. Although not as bad as 2019, Clean Team assessments have found an abundance of new trash from urban area storm drains, camps, farms, and residences.
Couch dumped in a very small tributary of the river over a mile from the river at this location.
Water is a powerful force and when we get heavy rains it can move trash from the urban environment into our creeks and the river. Large objects dumped well away from the river are easily moved by floodwaters into the waterway. In the pictures, you can see a couch dumped in Cloverdale on Icaria Creek. This is a mile away from the river’s edge and was washed into the river channel in one storm. The movement of water and increase in river elevation drags trash left near waterways from people’s yards, homes, and farms into the river.
Despite the Clean Team efforts starting in October to encourage campers to move to higher ground, many camps were flooded, and the contents swept downstream or abandoned. A fair portion of the trash was unfortunately washed into the ocean as a result of the storms. Clean-up will continue throughout the year as good samaritans and the Russian Riverkeeper Clean Team currently work to remove what remains when it’s safe to do so.
An example of items in a residential yard next to a creek easily carried into our river when floodwaters rise.
Once the trash finds its way to our river and ocean, it harms wildlife in many ways from entanglements to accidental ingestion. We know from a 2021 international study that most of the ocean plastic comes from rivers. Our goal is to remove the trash that is still lining our waterways and riverbanks before future storms can wash it downstream. We’d also like to clean it up before our community and visitors start hitting the beaches for the warm season so we can enjoy our river.
Camp along the river that was later flooded out and abandoned.
Judging from Clean Team efforts in 2019, the rain-driven trash will dramatically expand our workload. We are committed to getting it cleaned up over the next four months when it’s most accessible before the trees leaf out and obscure it. We’re seeking donations to increase our Clean Team’s work hours to eliminate trash and create more opportunities for volunteers. Consider giving generously today so we can continue our work removing flood debris and keeping our river healthy and safe.
If your business and or club is interested in participating in a post-flood cleanup event, please contact us at volunteer@russianriverkeeper.org, and we are happy to set one up. Volunteer cleanups are a great team-building activity and your help will be greatly appreciated. Together, we can help protect the watershed.