CLEANUP OF OHIO RIVER WILL BE BIG JOB

CAIRO, Ill. -- Volunteers will find plenty of litter awaiting them when they kick off the annual Ohio River Sweep this month.

March flooding that pushed the Ohio River and its tributaries out of their banks left all kinds of litter along the river's edge, said Jeanne Ison, project director for the sweep.

The annual cleanup is conducted by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) in partnership with Ashland Inc., in Ashland, Ky.

During a recent riverboat tour along the river in Massac County a lot of debris was observed, including everything from camper trailers to sections of houses.

"The flooding has left more debris than normal," said Ison, who was aboard the boat along with Bob Owen, manager of corporate community relations for Ashland Inc., and Byron Marks of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The river sweep, set for June 21, started in 1989 with volunteers turning out to pick up trash at some of the more littered spots between Ashland and Cincinnati, Ohio.

It has grown over the years to cover both Ohio River shorelines along the entire 981-mile length of the Ohio from Cairo to near Pittsburgh, Pa., and many of the river's feeder streams.

Volunteer teams and county coordinators have been planning the annual trash cleanup for the past few weeks.

Carolyn Mayberry of Cairo is the Alexander County coordinator.

"The Cairo Jaycees have made this an annual project," said Mayberry. "We'll probably start our cleanup at the 4th Street exit to the river."

The Ohio River ends a few block south of the 4th Street exit, at an area called The Point, where the Ohio empties into the Mississippi River.

A group of volunteers are also ready at Mound City. Sam Johnson, Mound City mayor, is Pulaski County coordinator.

The Pulaski County volunteers will be working from 10 a.m. to noon June 21 under the guidance of Donnie Calvin, water superintendent at Mound City.

Illinois volunteers are ready along the river at Olmsted, Brookport and Metropolis.

More than 21,000 volunteers participated in the 1996 cleanup, collecting about 10,000 tons of trash.

"We're hoping for more volunteers this year," said Tracey Edmonds of the ORSANCO office.

The goal is to have at least one gathering spot and dropoff point for each of the 72 counties that border the Ohio in six states, said Ison.

"We're not going to get it all in one day, we know," said Ison. "But people feel good about what they do. The annual promotion makes us all conscious of the importance of the Ohio River in terms of recreation and water supply."

Because the river sweep strives to enhance wildlife along the river, bird and duck boxes are presented by ORSANCO to coordinators for placement along the river.