DEQ News Release

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 28, 2017

ADEQ Joins the Great Arkansas River Cleanup to Combat Litter

NORTH LITTLE ROCK— The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is joining the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission to clean up a stretch of the Arkansas River as part of the Sixth Annual Great Arkansas River Cleanup on Saturday, September 9, 2017, scheduled for 8:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The agency is seeking volunteers willing to “Pitch In” and pick up litter on foot or by boat. The event will include communities across the state, including a number in Central Arkansas, cleaning up the Arkansas River and other waterways.

Volunteers for the Great Arkansas River Cleanup should meet at the Cook’s Landing Pavilion by the Big Dam Bridge in North Little Rock. On-site registration and supplies distribution will start at 8:00 a.m. Volunteers can also sign up ahead of time by contacting ADEQ Watershed Education Coordinator Erika Droke at Droke@adeq.state.ar.us or 501.682.0022. Gloves, trash bags, and drinking water will be provided, and volunteers will receive t-shirts, while supplies last.

ADEQ Environmental Program Coordinator Erika Droke stated:
“Each year, we see evidence that these cleanups are making a difference, not just in our own backyard, but further downstream where litter will eventually wash if it goes unchecked. One of the most exciting trends during the last six years is that many of our volunteers are students at local schools. Maumelle High School’s Beta Club members made up 90% of our group’s volunteer force in 2016, and I credit our on-the-ground success to sponsor teachers who inspire young people to think about how small actions in their communities can make a big impact globally.”

This will be the sixth year ADEQ has hosted a site for the cleanup. Last year ADEQ employees and members of the public fanned out to pick up litter from the banks and trail areas of the Arkansas River. ADEQ Headquarters are located at 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, near the Big Dam Bridge and the Arkansas River Trail.

CONTACT: Kelly Robinson (Robinson@adeq.state.ar.us or 501.682.0916)

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