With summer fast approaching, Clark County EMA/CSEPP Director Gary Epperson is looking for volunteers for an annual spring cleaning project along the Kentucky River.

Saturday, volunteers from Clark and Madison counties will meet to collect litter from the shore of the river near Fort Boonesbough State Park. Epperson said the work will begin at 9 a.m. on the Madison County side near the old beach house.

The volunteers will pick up trash along the Madison County side from the dam to the boat ramp in addition to clearing the Clark County side nearly to the bridge.

“We filled up two dump trucks last year,” Epperson said. “And we had close to 100 people volunteering with the people who supplied the food and ran registration.”

After surveying both sides of the riverbank Friday, Epperson said he expects even more garbage to be collected this year.

Participants will receive a T-shirt and lunch for their work Saturday, he said. People are asked to wear sturdy shoes and bring sunscreen. They are also asked to bring gloves to wear while handling the trash.

The EMA will provide garbage bags for collection.

Epperson said keeping the section of the river is important because it is where the communities in Clark and Madison counties draw their drinking water from.

“We need to pay more attention to this river,” Epperson said. “It’s the life blood of Kentucky.”

Epperson said so far only one boat has been volunteered to assist in the cleanup. Boats are usually used to carry volunteers from the Madison County side of the River to the Clark County side, as the bank on this side of the river is steep and covered in dense vegetation.

Epperson said anyone with a boat who is willing to help with the cleanup is encouraged to bring it.

Lunch will be provided to volunteers by Sekisui.