The third decade of Renew Our Rivers (ROR) gets underway in February with the first of the year’s 32 cleanups of Alabama rivers and waterways. If last year is any indication, there will be more volunteers and more trash removed in 2020, said Mike Clelland, ROR coordinator.
Since 2000, when the program began, 122,000 volunteers have collected almost 16 million pounds from waterways and shorelines in the South. In 2019, more than 5,000 volunteers removed almost 450,000 pounds of trash, including old boats, mattresses, tires, appliances and other unsightly items, a 4% increase over the previous year’s haul.
“We not only picked up more trash in 2019. We also had more volunteers,” said Clelland, an Environmental Affairs specialist for Alabama Power who helps coordinate the cleanups with multiple partners. “Twenty years in and the enthusiasm and participation remain strong. I fully expect 2020 to be just as successful as 2019, if not more so.”
An Alabama River cleanup in Autauga County on Feb. 15 leads off this year’s schedule, which concludes the first week of November at Lake Martin.
Volunteers elevate Alabama through Renew Our Rivers from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Renew Our Rivers began in 2000 with a cleanup by Alabama Power employees along the Coosa River at the company’s Plant Gadsden. It has grown to become one of America’s largest river cleanup initiatives, with the help of community partners, volunteers and organizations.
“Alabama is a beautiful place with extraordinary natural resources,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power vice president for Environmental Affairs. “Protecting those resources, while providing reliable, affordable electricity for our customers, is at the heart of our company’s mission. The commitment by Alabama Power employees to Renew Our Rivers remains strong, but we couldn’t do it without the support of our community partners across the state who support the effort year after year.”
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. The 2020 schedule of Renew Our Rivers cleanups is below. For updates to the schedule, visit alabamapower.com/renewourrivers.
2020 Renew Our Rivers Schedule
Feb. 15: Alabama River
Contact: John Paul O’Driscoll at 334-850-7153 or johnpaulod@juno.com
Feb. 29: Bankhead Lake (Warrior River)
Contact: Ronnie Tew at 205-908-4857
March 7: Lake Eufaula (Chattahoochee River)
Contact: Brad Moore at bmooreless@gosuto.com
March 14: Valley Creek (Spring)
Contact: Freddie Freeman at 205-424-4060, ext. 4188 or ffreeman@bessemeral.org
March 21: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Mike Clelland at 205-354-9348
March 28-April 4: Logan Martin (Coosa River) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Bud Kitchin at 256-239-0242
March 28: Minor Heights Community at Village Creek – SUSPENDED
Contact: Yohance Owens at 205-798-0087 or yohancevilcreek@yahoo.com
March 28-April 4: Lay Lake (Coosa River) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Judy Jones at 205-669-4865
April 11: Lay Lake at E.C. Gaston Plant (Coosa River) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Tanisha Fenderson at tfender@southernco.com
April 4: Cahaba River – SUSPENDED
Contact: David Butler at info@cahabariverkeeper.org
April 14-15: Mobile River (Plant Barry) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Bo Cotton at 251-331-0603
April 18: Lake Jordan (Coosa River) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Brenda Basnight at 334-478-3388
April 24: Smith Lake (Cullman County) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981
April 25: Weiss Lake – SUSPENDED
Contact: Sam Marko at 404-626-8594
April 29-30: Smith Lake (Winston County) – SUSPENDED
Contact: Allison Cochran at 205-489-5111
May 1: Plant Gorgas (Mulberry Fork)
Contact: John Pate at 205-686-2324 or johpate@southernco.com
May 15: Lake Seminole
Contact: Melanie Rogers at mlrogers@southernco.com
May 16: Chattahoochee River (Plant Farley)
Contact: Melanie Rogers at mlrogers@southernco.com
May 18-19: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown at 205-300-5253
Aug. 8: Holt Lake (Black Warrior River)
Contact: Becky Clark at 205-799-2449
Aug. 14: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: Madison Maughon at 205-438-0150 or mtmaugho@southernco.com
Aug. 15: Valley Creek
Contact: TBD
Aug. 15: Upper Tallapoosa River
Contact: Lex Brown at 256-239-6399
Sept: 8-9: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown at 205-300-5253
Date TBD: Village Creek
Contact: Yohance Owens at 205-798-0087
Sept.18: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981
Sept. 24: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason at msgjeason@yahoo.com
Oct. 2-3: Lake Demopolis
Contact: Jesse Johnson at 334-289-6160 or 251-238-1257
Oct. 13: Dog River (Mobile County)
Contact: Catie Boss at 251-829-2146 or clboss@southernco.com
Oct.17: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann at 205-910-3713
Oct. 20-22: Lake Harris (Tallapoosa River-Lake Wedowee)
Contact: Sheila Smith at 205-396-5093 or Marlin Glover at 770-445-0824
Oct. 26-31: Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Lisa Dover at 256-549-0900
Nov. 6-7: Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River)
Contact: John Thompson at 334-399-3289 or 1942jthompson420@gmail.com
Date TBD: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: TBD
