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DRBC Cares for Its Communities: Staff Volunteer to Clean-up Delaware River

While the main efforts of DRBC staff are centered around managing and protecting the shared interstate waters of the Delaware River Basin, they also care about helping out in our local communities. Staff recently spent a day cleaning up a section of the lower Delaware River from Lambertville, N.J. to Milford, N.J. Using the commission's boat, staff were able to target sites that are frequently used by the public, but are not within specific park boundaries and therefore are not routinely maintained.

Staff gathered trash, recyclables (glass and plastic bottles and cans), and tires from multiple sites along the Pa. and N.J. shorelines and from several islands in the river. Besides being an eyesore, removing trash from in and around waterways is important, as it helps improve water quality and habitat. Items large and small were removed, totaling roughly 20 bags of trash and multiple tires! 

While on the water and on land, staff adhered to the rule of safety first and wore their life jackets at all times, as well as took extra precautions to avoid contact with poison ivy, which was pervasive. Participating DRBC staff fully embraced the experience and enjoyed getting their hands and feet dirty to help clean the Delaware River.
DRBC staff pose with the commission's boat before heading out into the water for a river clean-up. Photo by DRBC.And the boat is in the water! Let the river clean-up commence. Photo by DRBC.DRBC staff head out of Lambertville, N.J. to clean-up targeted sites along the Delaware River. Photo by DRBC.DRBC staff pull in for a lunch break. The majority of the trash in the boat came from one site! Photo by DRBC.Just some of what was collected by DRBC staff during the river clean-up. Photo by DRBC.(From L to R) DRBC's Namsoo Suk, Erik Silldorff, and Greg Cavallo are all smiles despite the dirty work. Photo by DRBC.DRBC's Elaine Panuccio stands guard of the trash bounty staff removed from sites along the Delaware River. Photo by DRBC.DRBC staff place of all the trash collected during the clean-up in the commission's bins. A lot of what was collected will be recycled. The tires will be disposed of properly. Photo by DRBC.