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As it turns out, cleaning up the stream along Barnes Drive hasn’t been the only effort to improve the environment that Clark Countians are concerned with.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, efforts extended to Madison County.

The River Sweep event hosted by Kentucky Riverkeeper and Clark County Road and Solid Waste Departments took place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., allowing litter and more to be picked up at the Kentucky River location alongside the Boonesborough State Park Bath House.

“There are river cleanups throughout the year, and so I think if we can collaborate more…there can be more and more awareness and participation,” said Hope Broecker, a volunteer with Kentucky Riverkeeper. “I think when kids come out, and they’re picking up trash, it also connects them to where [the] trash comes from and where the behavior starts.”

The event is a joint venture with Madison and Clark County Solid Waste Departments and the Kentucky River Authority – which is in charge of locks and dams along the Kentucky River and tasked with much maintenance.

“They started sponsoring these events because we need to get the debris and trash out of the waterways”, said Allan Curtis, Director of Clark County Road and Solid Waste Departments. “[For] people downstream and upstream, it’s used for commercial purposes, agricultural purposes, and things like that. So, it’s a natural waterway that they’re just trying to protect for the environment.”

Procedurally, volunteers and organizations – including the Clark County Fire Department, Winchester Fire Department, and Winchester Police Department – take turns on rescue boats, aluminum boats, kayaks, and more, traveling through the river and picking up loose debris plus other objects.

What they find gets loaded into garbage bags for disposal, or even a loader, dumpster, and other equipment.

While they found many wrappers and other typical items, crews uncovered tires, water bottles, toys, and more.

Griffon Webster, Deputy Jailer with the Madison County Work Release Program, was present to participate and monitor several inmates.

“I remember coming down here as a kid, and one day it just stopped…the beach closed down. Everything closed down because of the pollution”, he said. “People getting out here doing this is definitely good for the environment and [getting] this community together.”

Others present from Madison County included Judge-Executive Reagan Taylor and Director of Roads and Solid Waste Departments Scott Shepherd.

Ryan Sparks, another volunteer with Kentucky Riverkeeper, talked about the cumulative effect that the pollution might have.

“It’s not going to stop here”, he said. “It’s going to keep going to the Ohio River, the next river, and then to the ocean…it’s a chain reaction.”

Still, Curtis – who prepared lunch for afterward consisting of burgers, hot dogs, and more – was encouraged by the efforts and where they could lead.

“Everybody jumped in [to help], and Madison County’s employees did the same thing,” he said. “[It] is a scenic area. It’s a nice place to bring your family…and it’s something that we need to protect for future generations.”