Sep 11, 2015
Baton Rouge - A litter and debris cleanup effort along the Ouachita River and surrounding waterways in the Monroe and West Monroe area will take place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. The “2015 Water Sweep” will be staffed by volunteers who donate their time and personal watercraft to remove debris along the river and shoreline.
In partnership with Ouachita Green, Keep Ouachita Parish Beautiful, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Vicksburg District, Keep Monroe Beautiful and Keep West Monroe Beautiful, the Water Sweep is marking its 11th year cleaning up the Ouachita River.
The event encourages groups and individuals to lend a hand cleaning up the Ouachita River and shoreline. Staging sites will be at Lazarre Park, Forsythe Park, Moon Lake Recreation Area, Bawcomville Recreation Area, Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge and Sterlington Recreation Area.
“Volunteers are needed to participate for just a few hours, and boaters are needed to provide transportation for participants. Anyone may sign up at any of the staging sites during the day of the event, or your group may preregister,” said Courtney Hornsby, president of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce. “Each and every person can make a difference. If you want to organize a cleanup in another body of water in Ouachita Parish please let us know and we will work with you to help out.”
All pre-registered participants will receive a free T-shirt while supplies last.
Corporate sponsors of the event include Dow Chemical, the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, The Radio People, Angus Chemical Company, and family and friends for the memory of Chuck C. Trascher III.
For more information, contact Courtney Hornsby, president of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, at (318) 325-1961, email: chornsby@westmonroechamber.org. Visit the Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/WestMonroeChamber and go to www.watersweep.org for details about the event.
Those interested in volunteering can do so by visiting www.ouachitagreen.org