After taking a brief break, volunteers are gearing up for the fall schedule of Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanups, beginning in urban Jefferson County on Saturday, Aug. 12.
People from across the Birmingham area, and beyond, are encouraged to take part in the annual summertime cleanup along Valley Creek, which flows from downtown Birmingham for more than 40 miles before joining the Black Warrior River. Last March, the annual springtime Valley Creek cleanup kicked off the 2023 schedule of community ROR events.
Multiple partners are involved in helping remove trash from Valley Creek, which supports numerous plant and animal species but also faces environmental challenges because of its location in Alabama’s largest metropolitan area.
Among those supporting the Valley Creek cleanups are Storm Water Management Authority, Inc. and the Jefferson County Department of Health, the cities of Birmingham and Bessemer storm water programs, Alabama Power, the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust and Keep Birmingham Beautiful, and the Jefferson County Commission. Also supporting the cleanup are the cities of Birmingham, Bessemer, Brighton, Hueytown, Lipscomb, Midfield, Fairfield and Pleasant Grove.
To date, over 80 tons of trash and debris have been removed from Valley Creek and surrounding roadways through the annual spring and summer cleanups.
The Aug. 12 Valley Creek cleanup will take place at five locations in Jefferson County:
- Brighton – Brighton Fire Department, 1215 Woodward St, Bessemer, AL 35020
- Midfield – 545 By Williams Sr Dr, Birmingham, AL 35228
- Hueytown – Hueytown High School, 4881 15th Street Rd, Hueytown, AL 35023
- Fairfield – Fairfield City Hall, 4701 Gary Ave, Fairfield, AL 35064
- Pleasant Grove – Pleasant Grove Community Center, 501 Park Rd, Pleasant Grove, AL 35127
The cleanups at all locations begin at 8:30 a.m. and end around 11 a.m. All ages are welcome but volunteers ages 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, click here.
Here’s the list of other, upcoming ROR cleanups slated through the rest of 2023. Dates are subject to change:
Sept. 8: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy, 205-529-5981
Sept. 14-15: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason, msgjeason@yahoo.com
Sept: 20-21: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact Roger Treglown, 205-300-5253
Sept: 22-23: Village Creek (Jefferson County)
Contact: Marilyn Roberts, marilynvilcreek@bellsouth.net,
205-798-0087
Sept. 25- 30: Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Lisa Dover, 256-549-0900
Oct. 3: Dog River (Mobile County)
Contact: Catie Boss, 251-829-2146 or clboss@southernco.com
Oct. 4-5: Mobile River (Plant Barry)
Contact: Jeff Reeves, 251-829-2746
Oct.7: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann, 205-910-3713
Oct. 12: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: Dan Patten 205-488-2081, dpatten@southernco.com
October 13-14: Lake Demopolis
Contact: Jason Arledge, cjarledg@southernco.com
Oct. 24-26: Lake Harris (Tallapoosa River-Lake Wedowee)
Contact: Crystal White, 256-396-5093, or Marlin Glover, 770-445-0824
Nov. 3-4: Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River)
Contact: John Thompson, 334-399-3289 or https://www.lmra.info/contact-us
Since its inception in 2000, Renew Our Rivers has grown into one of the nation’s largest river cleanup campaigns. With the help of numerous public and private partners and community organizations, more than 117,000 volunteers have removed more than 16 million pounds of trash from Southeastern waterways.
“For almost 25 years, volunteers across the state have been making a difference, helping clean our creeks, our rivers and our lakes through Renew Our Rivers,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power vice president of Environmental Affairs. “It’s a partnership that keeps on giving, in support of nurturing and protecting Alabama’s unique natural resources.”
For the latest updates about Renew Our Rivers cleanups, click here.
