Over 130 volunteers helped clean five sites along the Kanawha River and a 1.5 mile stretch of the Elk River

CHARLESTON, WV – The 30th annual Great Kanawha River Cleanup, sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan’s (REAP) Make It Shine program, had another successful year, removing 3.5 tons of litter and 361 tires from six sites along the Kanawha River and its tributaries on Saturday.

A total of 133 volunteers participated in this year’s cleanup, picking up litter at Kanawha Falls, Krodel Park, Magic Island, Rush Creek, Winfield Beach, and a 1.5 mile stretch of the Elk River – a tributary into the Kanawha River.

Volunteers spent a total of 290 hours on the cleanup. The Elk River site saw the greatest improvement, with 45 volunteers collecting 2.13 tons of litter and 358 tires there alone.