Volunteers with the Upper Sangamon River Conservancy spent Saturday combing a three-mile stretch of the Sangamon River just north of the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve.
The 22 in-water volunteers took 10 canoes and 5 kayaks on the six-hour trip. Three volunteers stayed at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve to cook lunch.
Buried in mud at the bottom of the river, the volunteers pulled out two televisions, a microwave, a car door and fender, an air conditioner, and a Little Tykes swimming pool with a slide. Along with barrels and approximately 15 tires, they had an estimated 2.5 tons of garbage at the end of the day.
USRC President Scott Hays said some of the garbage like a tarp, tin roofing and a lounge folding chair could have been swept up by flooding, but many of the items were dumped in the river.
Rain from Thursday and Friday night had no effect on the river level or their ability to find items in the river.
USRC was joined by volunteers from the Master Naturalists Program, the University of Illinois Wildlife Society the Salt Fork River Runners and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center.
“The thing that impressed me most was the spirit and the positive energy of the volunteers,” Hays said. “This was a ton of work.”
With very low water levels, the volunteers had to drag their canoes over dry areas with hundreds of pounds of garbage in them.
“It was harder than I thought it would be, but it was fun,” Hays said. “People were smiling and laughing until the end.”
USRC hosts Sangamon River Cleanup Day Once a year in September. This year the event coincided with It’s Our River Day, which falls on the third Saturday in September.
