Skip to content

Cleaning up the shores of the Columbia River

Starts at the Esplanade in Jubilee Park on Sunday at 10 a.m. The clean-up will go until noon with a lunch and prize draws afterwards.
30284traildailytimestdtriversday09-24-14
With the water levels of the Columbia River at a low point

Furniture, appliances, shoes and jewelry sound like items you would find in a thrift shop, not the Columbia River.

Unfortunately, those items were found in and around the river in last year's Rivers Day clean-up. Sunday will mark the second time the City of Trail is hosting the river clean-up to help celebrate B.C. Rivers Day.

Andrea Jolly, communications and event coordinator for the city, says getting the community out onto the banks of the Columbia River allows residents to contribute to the health of the waterway and the city.

“The Columbia River is a vital part of our area's recreational, ecological, economical and cultural environment,” she said. “It is important to raise awareness of the river's health by inviting everyone out to see, first-hand, what kind of damage garbage, debris and other materials can do when dropped irresponsibly in and around the water. This Rivers Day shoreline clean-up is a great opportunity for residents of the area to show their appreciation for our river and help keep our waterways clean.”

Keeping the Columbia River clean of garbage is a priority for the city and Jolly says she hopes the event helps educate residents.

“Because the Columbia River is such a prominent part of our community in so many ways, the City of Trail believes the more education and awareness around this mighty waterway is necessary,” she said.

Although the Skills Centre had hosted in previous years, Jolly says she hope that the city's second annual river cleanup event will be just as successful as last year.

“Last year, we had approximately 60 volunteers show up for the clean-up,” she said. “We were impressed with the turnout and managed to pick up 1.2 tonnes of garbage and debris from various shorelines in and around Trail.”

Anyone is welcome to join and it could be a great lesson for families, says Jolly.

“People of all ages will have the opportunity to come and assist with the clean-up and see how important it is to keep garbage and discarded items out of our waterways,” she said. “The is a great family event, or an excellent opportunity to gather a group of friends and colleagues to join the cause.”

Designated Teck and City of Trail trucks will be hauling all the garbage to the RDKB landfill where drop-off fees will be waived.

The city will be providing gloves, bags and instructions on how to sort the garbage and debris picked up and where to leave the full bags for pick-up.

The event starts at the Esplanade in Jubilee Park on Sunday at 10 a.m. The clean-up will go until noon with a lunch and prize draws afterwards.