Friday, September 2, 2011

Lower Sudbury - Egg Rock to Lee's Bridge

I counted myself lucky to be out on the river today.  Conditions were absolutely perfect. Others enjoying a day on the river were canoeists, kayakers, fishermen, wood ducks, tree swallows, turtles, and a belted kingfisher.  It seemed that all of us were smiling.
Thanks to Tropical Storm Irene, river levels had risen to heights more typical of springtime and these high levels liberated quite a bit of flotsam.  The area around Egg Rock provided about 21 pieces of trash.  Heaths Bridge soon trumped that with close to 100 pieces.  Beer bottles, bait tubs, and coffee cups.  Irene gave them all sea legs.

At Brooke Island (above and below) I stopped for a pleasant lunch break...

And then continued upriver to Lee's Bridge where I turned around and began the trip downstream...

Back at Lowell Road, the unloading took place...
Today's haul totaled 146 pieces of trash comprised of 69 recyclable containers (46 redeemable) and 77 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, fishing line, spray cans of paint, bug repellant, and tanning liquid.  YTD total stands at 4660.

As I write this Mrs. Trashpaddler reports having seen a considerable number of Hooksett wastewater discs/wafers at Crane Beach in Ipswich, today.  They were on the sand and in the water.  I guess T.S. Irene liberated those as well.
Do you think the multi-national corporation that designed and installed the discs will be along to remove them from the environment?  Probably less likely than seeing a timely response from our behemoth power utilities in regards to restoring electricity to those without it.  It sure leaves me less than impressed with the capabilities of big companies!
Fancy slogans and PR people aren't going to "get 'er done"! 

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