Record Turnout for Sweep the Hooch

A record 553 volunteers helped remove 3.7 tons of trash at the 3rd Annual Sweep the Hooch multi-site cleanup on Saturday, April 13.

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK), Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited (UCCTU) and the National Park Service coordinated the cleanup at 22 sites along the 48-mile stretch of the river through the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), with two additional sites at the Chattahoochee Bend State Park. Of the 3.7 tons of trash removed, a total of 0.6 ton was recycled.

“We’re incredibly proud of our volunteers, partners and sponsors who helped make this a record year for Sweep the Hooch. Because of sequestration and the removal of trash cans from all but a handful of the parks inside the CRNRA, Sweep the Hooch was more important than ever this year,” said CRK Executive Director Sally Bethea.

Volunteers served in three different roles at the cleanup: paddlers picking up trash from the water, waders patrolling the river bank, and walkers canvassing the park grounds and tributary creeks and streams. We found everything from fire extinguishers to a completely full one-gallon gas tank.