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Sunday, July 13, 2003

ENVIRONMENT: 'River sweep' clears trash

More than 500 bags of trash and 2,000 tires and other assorted items were removed from streams, creeks and rivers at 50 sites in a six-county area as part of the 14th annual "River Sweep" held yesterday.

The event drew 650 volunteers, including members of the Allegheny County Sportsman's League and the Friends of the Riverfront. The event was coordinated by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The River Sweep is the largest annual cleanup effort in the United States, winding along the Ohio River and its tributaries in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. The Pennsylvania leg spreads through Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties.