Residents Clean 1,000 Miles Of Ohio River Banks

Volunteers swept the shores of the Ohio River from Pennsylvania into Illinois on Saturday, hauling off trash left by floods and litterbugs.

The seventh annual Ohio River Sweep covered both sides of the river from the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh to the river’s mouth at the Mississippi River, nearly 1,000 miles downstream at Cairo, Ill.

It’s the biggest environmental event of its kind in the nation, said Jeanne Ison, project director and cleanup coordinator for Kentucky.

Volunteers took part in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.

At least one area in each of the 72 counties along the river was designated for cleanup.

Businesses along the river organized family events and picnics, said Pam VanHorn, cleanup coordinator in West Virginia.

Some provided food, drinks, T-shirts and gloves for the volunteers, said Stephanie Hellman, a coordinator in Madison, Ind.