Litter removal planned for Middle River

Monique Calello, Staunton News Leader
·2 min read
Friends of the Middle River will hold its 13th annual Middle River Litter Cleanup over the course of nine days by different teams of volunteers Aug. 19 through Aug. 27.
Friends of the Middle River will hold its 13th annual Middle River Litter Cleanup over the course of nine days by different teams of volunteers Aug. 19 through Aug. 27.

VERONA — The Friends of the Middle River (FOMR) will hold its 13th annual Middle River Litter Cleanup over the course of nine days by different teams of volunteers on different days between Aug. 19 through Aug. 27.

Last year, 106 volunteers cleaned 21.9 miles of Middle River removing 1.37 tons of trash plus 153 illegally dumped tires from the waterway, FOMR said in a press release.

"Tires that sit in the river for decades slowly disintegrate and release pollutant chemicals into the water," said Dave Mangun, FOMR cleanup coordinator. "Fishing line left streamside gets wound around the legs of ducks and geese and can trap them. Small bits of plastic wash downstream eventually to the ocean, where wildlife there are negatively affected. Litter is not just an eyesore."

Dave Mangun from Friends of the Middle River helps JMU Valley Scholar student Quinlyn Padfield itemize litter found at Asylum Creek in Staunton on Wednesday, June 2, 2021.
Dave Mangun from Friends of the Middle River helps JMU Valley Scholar student Quinlyn Padfield itemize litter found at Asylum Creek in Staunton on Wednesday, June 2, 2021.

Middle River gets trash in and along its banks primarily from two sources:

  1. Stormwater runoff and floods which pick up loose items and pull them to the river

  2. Intentional or careless human dumping

The River has a lot of what is known as “legacy trash” which is trash that has accumulated over many decades.

The cleanup is a community/partner endeavor. Volunteers pull a canoe behind them which acts as a barge for the trash collected. Each team cleans a mile or two of the river.

This year, the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Grant paid for safety equipment for this cleanup. Virginia Eagle Distributing Co. has allowed FOMR to use their lot for the rental dumpster for the week’s event for many years. The County of Augusta landfill allows us to unload our dumpster at a discount.

Individuals with canoes (not kayaks) who want to sign up by the deadline of Aug. 4 to volunteer can do so here: www.friendsofthemiddleriver.org.

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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Water pollution: Litter removal planned for Middle River in Verona