The Augusta Canal was put up for adoption Monday -- in sections.
"Any group is eligible to adopt a section," Canal Authority Chairman Bob Woodhurst said. "It can be business groups, Scout groups, churches -- even a family."
The program unveiled Monday is part of an effort to keep the canal and its 11-mile channel in the best condition.
Woodhurst said the formal Adopt a Canal Trail project builds on the successes of other volunteer efforts, such as the First Saturday group's restoration of the aqueduct area and the Southeast Off-Road Bicycle Association's help with trails.
The first official trail adopter is Martin Marietta Materials Augusta Quarry, which plans to have 30 to 40 employee volunteers at an annual spring cleanup Saturday.
Tony DiRico, the company's Southeast Division president, said volunteers will concentrate on the upper two miles of the canal, in the head gates area.
Groups or individuals can officially adopt a section of land or water trail by agreeing to visit their designated area at least four times a year to pick up litter, perform light pruning and inspect for maintenance and safety issues.
Adopters are asked to follow agreed-upon procedures and file brief reports on their activities.
Adopters will be acknowledged with special trail signs.
Interested groups can contact the canal's Adopt a Trail coordinator at (706) 823-0440, ext. 8, or send an e-mail to adoptatrail@augustacanal.com.
LAND TRAILS:
- Head gates/Savannah Rapids Pavilion to Interstate 20 (Martin Marietta)
- I-20 to pumping station (Augusta Canal Authority Members)
- Towpath from pumping station to Lake Olmstead/bulkhead gate
- Aqueduct area (First Saturday Crew-pending)
- Lake Olmstead/bulkhead gate to Broad Street along both sides of the canal
- Broad Street to 15th Street along both sides of the canal
- 15th Street to 13th Street along both sides of the canal
- Second level of the canal between 12th and Greene streets; third level of the canal between Seventh and 12th streets
- Lakeshore Loop from bulkhead gates parking to bridge over Lake Olmstead
- New Bartram Trail
- Mountain bike trails (SORBA)
WATERWAY AREAS:
- Head gates/Savannah Rapids Pavilion to I-20
- I-20 to pumping station
- Pumping station to Lake Olmstead/bulkhead gate
- Lake Olmstead/bulkhead gate to Broad Street
- Broad Street to 15th Street
- 15th Street to 13th Street
Will they cleanup the "trash dump" between the levee and the river?
The First Saturday Crew has already been cleaning up the canal for a long time.
My wife will be glad to hear that the 1st Saturday crew won't have to be on the canal since the Canal Authority has finally decided to help clean it up.
It will be the same as the adopt-a-road program. It works for a couple of times, people find out how much work it is and how long it takes and how miserable it is, and then they quit.
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