In February, Renew Our Rivers will kick off its 20th year of lake and river cleanups. More than 30 cleanups are planned in 2019 across Alabama.
Renew Our Rivers began in the spring of 2000 with Gene Phifer’s vision to clean a stretch of the Coosa River near Alabama Power’s Plant Gadsden, where he worked. Since then, more than 117,000 volunteers have joined the effort and collected more than 15.5 million pounds of trash and debris from waterways across the Southeast.
“As we begin the 20th year of Renew Our Rivers, it’s time to celebrate this environmental success story. And what better way than with more cleanups,” said Mike Clelland, an Alabama Power Environmental Affairs specialist who helps coordinate the cleanups.
Employees and volunteers assist Clelland and other community partners at every Renew Our Rivers cleanup. In 2018 alone, 4,000 volunteers removed more than 268,000 pounds of trash from Alabama lakes, rivers and shorelines.
“The commitment by Alabama Power employees to Renew Our Rivers continues to grow,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power’s vice president for Environmental Affairs. “But it is the Renew Our Rivers partnerships, which bring together our employees with homeowner and boat owner organizations, community volunteers, students and other groups, that have made this effort truly sustainable.”
Renew Our Rivers is one of many initiatives in which Alabama Power partners with others to promote conservation and environmental stewardship in communities across the state. Please see below the 2019 schedule of Renew Our Rivers cleanups. For updates to the schedule, please visit https://apcshorelines.com/blog/.
2019 Renew Our Rivers schedule
Feb. 16: Alabama River
Contact: John Paul O’Driscoll
johnpaulod@juno.com
March 9: Lake Eufaula (Chattahoochee River)
Contact: Brad Moore
bmooreless@gosuto.com
March 16: Valley Creek
Contact: Freddie Freeman
205-424-4060, ext. 4188 ffreeman@bessemeral.org
March 23: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann at 205-910-3713
March 31-April 6: Lake Logan Martin (Coosa River)
Contact: Mike Riley at 205-531-2372
March 24-March 30: Lay Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Judy Jones at 205-669-4865
April 6: Lay Lake at E.C. Gaston Plant (Coosa River)
Contact: Tanisha Fenderson
tfender@southernco.com
April 6: Cahaba River
Contact: David Butler
info@cahabariverkeeper.org
April 10-11: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Allison Cochran at 205-489-5111
April 19: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: Jeff Baker
205-408-2033 or jkbaker@southernco.com
April 20: Weiss Lake
Contact: Sam Marko at 404-626-8594
April 26: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981
April 27: Lake Jordan (Coosa River)
Contact: Brenda Basnight at 334-478-3388
April 30 – May 1: Plant Barry (Mobile River)
Contact: Bo Cotton at 251-331-0603
May 6-7: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown at 205-300-5253
May 10: Gorgas Steam Plant (Mulberry Fork)
Contact: Joel McCray
jmccray@southernco.com
May 18: Bankhead Lake (Black Warrior River)
Contact: Buck Vines at 205-226-1170
Aug. 3: Holt Lake (Black Warrior River)
Contact: Becky Clark at 205-799-2449
Aug. 17: Upper Tallapoosa River
Contact: Lex Brown at 256-239-6399
Sept: 9-10: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown at 205-300-5253
Sept. 12: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason
msgjeason@yahoo.com
Sept. 12-14: Village Creek
Contact: Yohance Owens at 205-798-0087
Sept. 20: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981
Sept. 28: Valley Creek
Contact: www.jcdh.org/wpd
Oct. 4-5: Lake Demopolis
Contact: Jesse Johnson
334-289-6160 or 251-238-1257
Oct. 15: Dog River (Mobile County)
Contact: Catie Boss
251-829-2146 or clboss@southernco.com
Oct. 22-24: R.L. Harris Lake
(Tallapoosa River-Lake Wedowee)
Contact: Sheila Smith at 205-396-5093
Marlin Glover at 770-445-0824
Oct. 26: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann at 205-910-3713
Oct. 28-Nov. 2: Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Lisa Dover at 256-549-0900
Nov. 1-2: Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River)
Contact: John Thompson
334-399-3289 or www.lmra@lmra.info
