A phone booth, three mattresses, 44 tires and a dog carrier were among the more unusual items gathered by volunteers who turned out for Saturday's spring cleanup along the Augusta Canal.
In all, more than 150 people gathered several tons of trash-enough to fill three roll-off dumpsters-from Lake Olmstead and the canal area from the headgates to Augusta, said Savannah Riverkeeper director Tonya Bonitatibus.
The Augusta Canal Authority's semiannual cleanup also yielded televisions, a refrigerator and other appliances, a vanity and four other pieces of furniture - even a medicine cabinet.
Most of the trash was more typical - glass bottles, thousands of food wrappers and cigarette butts, she said. Among the more dangerous items were batteries and a 55-gallon drum filled with old antifreeze.
The event's sponsors, in addition to the Canal Authority and the Riverkeeper, included Augusta-Richmond County recreation and solid waste departments and also participants in the new "Adopt a Canal Trail" project launched last week.
Martin Marietta Materials Augusta Quarry, the program's first official trail adopter, concentrated its efforts on the canal's upper two miles, said Bill Heubel, a senior micro support specialist at the quarry.
"We had 41 people on the towpath and they pulled somewhere between 10 and 15 pickup loads of trash and debris up from both sides of the trail," he said. "It was quite a day, and we are already planning our next activity on our section. We've barely scratched the surface."
Bonitatibus said cleanup campaigns are a wonderful way to generate civic pride and stimulate interest in natural resources. "What better than being able to bring the
community together for only four hours and being able to make such an impact," she said.
The Canal Authority is still seeking adopters for many other sections of the canal area. Interested groups can contact the canal's Adopt a Trail coordinator at 706-823-0440, ext. 8, or email to adoptatrail@augustacanal.com.
Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com
Why is it that only the Human animal(supposedly the most intelligent) trashes his environment ?
You have to consider the source, Betty. Most of us animals keep a clean home and environment. It's the rats that make the mess.
Betty, there are selfish slobs in this world. Unfortunately.
Augusta is a trashy city, what else should we expect? It's a shame that the canal was used as an all-purpose dump for so many years.
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