Volunteers are needed for the 16th Annual River Sweep, the largest organized volunteer river cleanup effort in the country, set to take place from 8 a.m. to noon June 18 in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

River Sweep, an annual six-state effort to clean up litter and debris in the Ohio River watershed, is sponsored by DEP, the Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission and a number of Pennsylvania corporate sponsors. The event winds through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Illinois, covering more than 2,400 miles of shoreline.

Last year, more than 1,000 volunteers collected trash and debris along the Ohio, Allegheny, Beaver, Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and their tributaries. Volunteers who participate receive trash bags and a souvenir T-shirt. Refreshments are provided at River Sweep sites.

For more information visit the River Sweep webpage or contact Betsy Mallison at 412-442-4182 or send e-mail to epsriversweep@state.pa.us .

5/27/2005