Saturday, September 15, 2012

Patrolling Powdermill Dam's Impoundment




Today, the group OARS held their 26th Annual River Cleanup in many towns throughout the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord rivers watershed.  I participated with my town's contingent under the direction of Bob Guba, who's been organizing the Acton group for many years...


While others patrolled for trash downstream of the Assabet River's Powdermill Dam, my boat and I patrolled the impounded area immediately upstream of the dam (opening photo).  Trash of a floatable nature was plentiful along the banks and also congregated at the dam's gates...

My haul enjoyed a brief moment in the sun...

There were 56 recyclable containers (41 redeemable) and 79 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, an empty plastic gasoline jug, and a truck tire's inner tube.  YTD = 5574

Post photo session, they were swallowed up by the Acton group's much larger haul, where they were dwarfed.  At the post-cleanup pizza gathering they looked smaller still when compared to what the Maynard contingent had pulled from the Assabet...

Of course, there were also contingents working in Framingham, Wayland, Sudbury, Concord, Westborough, Northborough, Marlborough, Hudson, and Stow.
It amazes me to see what many hands can accomplish in just a three hour timespan!
All in all it's fair to say that the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers are feeling much less encumbered this afternoon.
 

2 comments:

Ellen Martin said...

Great job to all of you who participated. Where do you put all the trash in/on your kayak? Proud to have you as my friend, Al!
Ellie Martin

Al said...

Hi Ellen, Good to hear from you!My kayak provides several options for newly aquired passengers: those traveling steerage drop down into the aft storage comparment; second class passengers go into a dry bag topside/aft; and those traveling first class enjoy riding in a plastic milk crate on the foredeck. Of course, VIPs get secured topside with their own bungees.
Hope you all are enjoying these great late summer days up in the Adirondacks!