On April 25th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at sites throughout Centre County, ClearWater Conservancy will host its annual Watershed Cleanup Day.

Over the past 18 years, Watershed Cleanup Day volunteers have properly disposed of 5.82 million pounds of illegally dumped trash found throughout the watersheds of central Pennsylvania.

Through a partnership with Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority, an army of citizen volunteers and the generosity of local contractors, heavy equipment operators, businesses, municipalities, Centre Region Parks and Recreation and the MS4 partners, Watershed Cleanup Day continues to grow every year.

A pile of trash is not an attractive sight, but trash can do worse than spoil the natural beauty of our area.  Pollutants leaching from trash can enter drinking water.  Garbage can also cause injuries, harm wildlife, and its removal can use tax dollars that could be put to other uses.  Removing trash from our watersheds not only makes it more beautiful, but keeps the surrounding community healthy.

Watershed Cleanup Day has enjoyed such success largely because of the people and organizations who continue to donate their time, equipment, labor, and funding support year after year.  (Photo: Enthusiastic volunteers from the 2014- Brownies from Troop 1253.)

“We hope that one year there will no longer be any litter polluting our environment, and therefore nothing for our volunteers to cleanup,” said Lori Davis, Water Resources Coordinator of ClearWater Conservancy. “However, until then we will continue to do our best to visibly improve the landscapes of central Pennsylvania while protecting its water resources.”

Donations of equipment or money are greatly appreciated and bring us one step closer to removing this type of unsightly nonpoint source pollution from central Pennsylvania’s landscape and waterways. To donate contact Lori Davis.

To volunteer, a simple one page form can be filled out at Clearwater’s website or contact Lori Davis, at 814-237-0400.

2/16/2015