What a haul! Tons of trash pulled from Occoquan River during cleanup

Tires being unloaded at Riverview Estates from Patrick Lucas’ boat

If discarded in one place, it would make a good sized trash dump. The trash had been left in all manner of forms, shapes, colors and sizes. This grouping included 205 large bags of non-recyclable items, 54 bags of recyclable and actually recycled material, plastic bottles, all of which totaled 2,300 pounds of bulk trash. It also included 82 tires, a mattress, a broken-up sailboat, a five-gallon bucket of tile adhesive, a swimming pool, a suitcase, car fender, seven automobile batteries and two oil drums for a combined total of 3.68 tons of trash.

Added to this amount reported by the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) were another 75 bags of trash, nearly 30 bags of recyclables, cigarette filters, barrels and ductile iron pipes and various other forms of trash, collected onshore by the Friends Of The Occoquan (FOTO).

Unfortunately, it had been discarded in and around the Occoquan River, a source of drinking water and water activities for many Prince William County residents.  Fortunately, it was collected for proper disposal by volunteers during the annual Occoquan River Clean-Up on Saturday, April 14, from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition and Friends of the Occoquan combined to direct hundreds of volunteers, representing several volunteer groups and Prince William County agencies to rid as much refuse from the water and shores of the Occoquan River as possible. This marked FOTO’s 13th year of collecting trash by scouring the Occoquan shoreline and PWTSC’s third year of organizing the event.

The massive project included 12 launch sites along 26+ miles of the Occoquan River, with experienced boating volunteers’ manning over 70 watercraft, including kayaks, canoes, rowboats, motorized Jon boats, pontoon boats and 22- and 24-foot long power boats. Other volunteers cleaned up the shoreline and adjacent land.

Ed Dandar, PWTSC project organizer said, “This was a collaborative effort that involved members of the Prince William County Park Authority, Public Works, Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District, three homeowner’s associations, rescue boats from Lake Jackson VFD, and the Lake Ridge OWL VFD, The Friends of the Occoquan, REI, Prince William Izaak Walton League, Bradley Forest Recreation Association, Lake Jackson Citizens Association, Prince William County Board of Supervisors and Occoquan Regional Park.”

Coordination with the Chesapeake Watershed Clean-Up sponsor, The Alice Ferguson Foundation, provided plastic bags and gloves for the volunteers; free launch passes at the Bull Run and Fountainhead Marinas were made possible through liaison with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Small boat rentals were provided by the Lake Ridge Marina and Occoquan Regional Park.

Unloading bags and bags of trash from Charles Gilliam’s 22-foot power boat at Lake Ridge Marina

Major launch sites were just below Lake Jackson Dam, at Riverview Estates, Occoquan Forest, Cannon Bluff and Lake Ridge Marina, where each volunteer received bottled water, snacks, gloves and trash bags. Dandar started the clean-up day at the Lake Jackson Dam where canoes and kayaks were launched and shoreline clean-up was taking place.

Kevin Ringham, webmaster for PWTSC, launched his canoe there with daughter Sarah, 12, and son Chris, 15. A Bristow resident, he has participated each year, while this marked his children’s second clean-up.  Last year, along with pulling plastic pink flamingos and other trash from the river, the three dug a six-foot kayak out of nine feet of debris. In an example of reusing something discarded, friend Scott Helberg guided the kayak beside Ringham’s canoe to help gather trash this year.

Dandar headed to Riverview Estates to let volunteers use his canoe. While there, he welcomed Patrick Lucas and Oliver, his dog, as they approached the shore in a motorized Jon boat, pulling a canoe. Each was filled with discarded tires given to him by canoeists and kayakers who had collected them near an adjacent bridge. At Lake Ridge Marina, The Friends of the Occoquan (FOTO) had 110 people out of 133 volunteers removing trash at the marina and its grounds. Kelly Jimenez of the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District and PWTSC board member led FOTO’s effort.

“This is the 26th clean-up Friends of the Occoquan have participated, usually, one in the spring and one in the fall. The Bull Run Rotary Club has been with us every year since the beginning. We had over 200 volunteers this year,” said Vanegas.

“Under the leadership of German Vanegas, FOTO has cleaned up here and at the Occoquan Regional Park for the prior 12 years,” said Jimenez. While FOTO rid the shore of debris, bags of trash were being brought in by boat to the marina’s floating dock.  Charles Gilliam, with special permission to use his 22-foot power boat, collected large colorful bags of trash from those working on the water and off-loaded them at the Lake Ridge Marina.

“This is a combined effort,” Dandar said. “Kelly helps coordinate things. FOTO cleans the parks and interior marina, and I am kind of the waterways guy with PWTSC. I start in late January. There are more than 60 hours of coordination time and 200 miles of travel.”  As situations changed during the clean-up, Dandar and Jimenez made adjustments.  Dandar switched locations for kayakers and canoeists to maximize efficiency.

While the clean-up is an ongoing commitment made by many cooperating entities, Dandar, Jimenez and Vanegas hope each year less trash will need to be removed for the Occoquan River. They urge all users of the river and its shoreline to refrain from making it a dumping ground and exercise proper disposal procedures while enjoying its pleasures. Information is available at blueways @pwtsc.org and http://www.friendsofthe occoquan.org.