Photo by Kamp Fender.
Debris and erosion shown on Patton Creek just above its entrance to the Cahaba River.
Editor's note: due to severe weather, this event has been canceled.
Those looking to help take care of the source for the Birmingham area’s drinking water have a chance to do so through the Cahaba River Society’s Big Cahaba Cleanup 2019, to be held Saturday, June 8.
The plan is to clean 40 miles of the river in one day, the largest one-day event in the society’s history. Volunteers, members of the society and other community and corporate partners will all take part in the event, which will stretch from Trussville to Helena.
The group will clean seven sections of the river, depending on water levels, from Gadsden Highway in Trussville to County Road 52 in Helena. Teams of 10 to 20 volunteers in canoes and kayaks, each with a “river leader,” will clean each section of the river. There will be a “shore leader” for each river access site, as well, with that person handling site set-up, organizing waivers, t-shirts, parking, shuttles, water and snacks. The shore team will clean up along the site, and will greet the river team when they arrive, organizing their garbage for pictures, media and pick-up.
To register, contact Gordon Black at clean@cahabariversociety.org. While river team volunteers registered in early May, Gordon asked that people who want to participate as shore team volunteers email by June 1.
The event is part of a larger effort by the Cahaba River Society to draw awareness to the importance of the Cahaba River and of appropriate environmental stewardship as a whole. In leading the cleanup, the group hopes to educate participants and others of the importance of not littering and recycling in order to keep rivers like the Cahaba clean.
There’s no shortage of refuse to be found on the river, said Beth Stewart, executive director of the CRS.
“What do we not find?” Stewart said.
Plastic shopping bags, cans, bottles and other trash items line the river, which is the source for much of greater Birmingham’s drinking water.
“It’s really disruptive to wildlife,” Stewart said. “... We find a lot of sports balls [too.]”
Consumers can help by using reusable shopping bags, Stewart said, and being more mindful to avoid littering, as it will all eventually float down to the river.
Trash finding its way to the river pollutes the water, Stewart said, and as plastic and other elements degrade, they interfere with the surrounding habitat.
Cahaba River Society Field Director Randy Haddock said items like the plastic that surrounds a six-pack of soda can strangle wildlife, and styrofoam, when it breaks down, looks like fish food that ends up being eaten by wildlife, causing damage.
Crews will find carpeting, shards from boats and grass clippings in the river as well, Haddock said. The grass clippings turn into algae, which can affect the oxygen levels in the river and affect wildlife. Volunteers have even found oil in the river, he said, which is toxic for wildlife and pollutes the water.
In addition to not littering, which includes throwing things down storm drains or out into streets, Haddock said, people should be careful using pesticides before a rain event and to be careful in the use of water, working to conserve as much water as possible.
Stewart said this area is lucky to have an asset like the Cahaba River.
“We’re so fortunate to have a creek this natural and beautiful in our communities,” Stewart said.
Learn more at cahabariversociety.org.
