HCWA - Henry County Water Authority
10/25/2024 | Press release | Archived content
Volunteers collect 660 pounds of trash during Rivers Alive cleanup
Volunteers collect 660 pounds of trash during Rivers Alive cleanup
The Henry County Water Authority (HCWA), with the help of approximately 30 volunteers, collected 660 pounds of trash during the recent Henry County Rivers Alive cleanup, which will help protect the water quality in the utility's Gardner Reservoir - the site of this year's event.
The HCWA, including its Water Loss Department and Cubihatcha Outdoor Education Center staffs, hosted the event, which featured volunteers from Leadership Henry, Henry County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and others. Honey Bucket served as an additional sponsor of the event by providing a portable restroom for the volunteers.
The most common items collected and removed from areas surrounding the Gardner Reservoir were drink containers, including 555 plastic bottles, 226 glass bottles, and 127 beverage cans. The Gardner Reservoir is one of five reservoirs owned and operated by the Authority, which collectively provide raw water to produce finished drinking water for more than 70,000 customers in Henry County.
According to Authority officials, the removal of drinking water containers at the Gardner Reservoir was significant due to how long it takes for these items to disintegrate naturally. For example, plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose, while beverage cans take 200 years and glass bottles 4,000 years.
The key message from the HCWA staff and Rivers Alive volunteers to fellow citizens following the cleanup is how important it is to prevent stormwater pollution, since anything thrown on the ground eventually ends up in a water source after rain events. Thus, the theme of Henry County Rivers Alive is: "Be the solution to water pollution!"
"We all need to protect the environment in which we live to preserve it for generations to come," says Lindsey Sanders, HCWA Communications and Regulatory Coordinator, who organized the event. "We're grateful we had all of the volunteers to help us preserve one of our drinking water reservoirs."
Henry County Rivers Alive is an official event of the Georgia Rivers Alive Campaign, which is Georgia's Annual Waterway Cleanup targeting creeks, streams, rivers, lakes/reservoirs, beaches, and wetlands across the state. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia's water resources.
Check out these links for how to prevent stormwater pollution, as well as a photo gallery from this year's Henry County Rivers Alive.
Captions for photos (top to bottom):
Volunteers joined the HCWA to collect 660 pounds of trash from areas around the Gardner Reservoir during this year's recent Henry County Rivers Alive cleanup.
Millicent J. Broderick (far left), Education & Outreach Coordinator with Henry County Stormwater, and Tracey Monk-Shadee (center), with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity, clean areas around the Gardner Reservoir during Henry County Rivers Alive.
Meredith Butler, with Henry County Government, removes trash and debris from the banks of the Gardner Reservoir during the recent Henry County Rivers Alive.
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Media Contact: Chris Wood, Ph.D.
P: 770-757-1681