June 18, 2009 05:12 pm
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When the Ohio River Sweep was first organized more than two decades ago, the response from this area was immediate and enthusiastic. Scores of residents of Ashland, Catlettsburg, Ironton, Huntington and other river communities spent a few hours on the third Saturday in June picking up trash from the banks of the Ohio River.
The reason for this area’s response? Ashland Inc. The corporation, then based in this community, became one of the first corporate sponsors of the River Sweep organized each year by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission. The company’s sponsorship went beyond just giving a few dollars to help a good cause. The company actively promoted the Sweep and encouraged its employees to volunteer. The response from this community helped make the Sweep along 3,000 miles of the Ohio River and its tributaries from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Ill., one of the nation’s largest single-day volunteer efforts.
Ashland Inc. remains a corporate sponsor of the River Sweep, as is AK Steel, AEP, Rumpke Waste Disposal and nearly 40 other companies that do business along the river, but Ashland Inc. has moved its headquarters to Covington, sold its refinery to Marathon and gone from several thousand employees in this region to just a fraction of that number.
But some things have not changed. There still is plenty of trash to be found along the banks of the river, and the River Sweep still is an excellent way to spend a few hours helping the environment and improving the appearance of this community.
Because of the riverfront project, the Ashland boat dock will not be a gathering place for volunteers at this year’s Sweep, but those who want to do something positive for the environment can gather at the Catlettsburg City Park at 8:30 a.m. and at the Greenup City Park, the Worthington City Park and the old boat landing in South Shore at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Those who do will receive a T-shirt, a few instructions and the satisfaction that comes from knowing they are doing something positive for their community.
During the 2008 River Sweep, more than 21,000 volunteers picked up litter on the riverbank. While organizers say they have seen a decline in the amount of trash along the river, there still is plenty to be found.
Kelly Ward, FIVCO District coordinator for this year’s Sweep, called the Sweep a “great thing” for Boyd and Greenup counties. “I think people take for granted just how valuable a resource we have in the Ohio River and its surrounding tributaries,” she said.
The novelty of the River Sweep is gone, but it’s still one of the good things happening in this community each June.
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