ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Debris is piling up along the Genesee River, but volunteers spent the day tackling the problem.
Two groups of volunteers from the Rochester office of Stantec cleaned up the river. News10NBC’s Garrett Chan was with the group cleaning by the Lower Falls.
The volunteers said cleanup events allow them to give back to the community and ensure the river is a better place for people and wildlife. A logjam created a mass of debris and litter accumulating at the bridges.
“What we’re finding a lot of bottles, cans, different debris here. Some fishing gear, fishing lures have been abandoned. A lot of fishing line. And, just trying to get that picked up so it doesn’t end up in our waterways,” said Ray Kesel, Stantec’s Rochester office leader.
The company partnered with Genesee RiverWatch and has cleaned the river for more than a decade. Board President Steve Orr said events like these help make sure the backup of trash and debris doesn’t eventually trickle downstream.
“All the stuff that we’re picking up originates with somebody somewhere up river. We’re hoping that it encourages people to be more conscientious about keeping their trash with them and throwing it away properly and not letting it get into waterways like the Genesee,” Orr said.
Orr estimated the two groups of volunteers collected about 10 bags worth of litter and debris. But the work to improve the riverway requires a collective effort.
“There’s numerous other sources of pollutants such as phosphorus, which is the one we’re most concerned about, or one of the ones we’re most concerned about that can harm water quality in the river and in Lake Ontario, where the river flows,” Orr said.
“My recommendation is, leave it better than you found it. So if you pack it in, please pack it out. But if you find something along the way, pick it up and bring it out,” Kesel said.
Garrett called the city of Rochester earlier, asking if it has any plans to address the massive logs piling up along the river. The city operations office wasn’t able to meet with him, and he didn’t get an exact date. But the city said it’s something they’ll do about once a year, sending out cranes to lift the logs and working with RG&E to manage water levels.
The post Bottles, cans and fishing gear pulled from Genesee River during Rochester cleanup event appeared first on WHEC.com.
