Hands-on community event highlights importance of protecting waterways

For 20 years, Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) in Georgia has brought together community volunteers on the banks of a local creek or stream to collect trash, play toilet seat cornhole, spin for prizes and learn simple ways to protect their water resources.

After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CCWA’s Stormwater Management Section once again sponsored the popular event – called Rivers Alive Stream Cleanup – in October. More than 60 community and utility volunteers equipped with t-shirts, gloves and trash bags cleared the terrain along Hurricane Creek of plastic bottles, tires, and other litter.

“It hits home for our volunteers – especially the children — to see the trash that would have been washed into storm drains and made its way into local waterways and drinking water reservoirs,” said Suzanne Brown, CCWA’s communications and community relations manager. “They don’t like seeing that kind of pollution out there and want to clean it up and share what they’ve learned with others.”

Once the litter was disposed of, CCWA staff served up a picnic lunch and shared fun, hands-on information about the local watershed and its cycle of water.

“The toilet seat corn hole helps volunteers remember what should and should not be flushed and a prize wheel reinforces key messages about water conservation and pollution prevention,” Brown said. “We also display a model water tower and fire hydrants, and staff volunteers provide information about watersheds and wetlands.”   

CCWA’s signature event is part of the state-wide Rivers Alive volunteer cleanup event that targets all waterways in the state of Georgia, including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches, and wetlands. It attracts volunteers of all ages from families, Girl Scout troops, church groups and schools, many of whom return year after year.

“Our staff has found that any opportunity to educate our customers helps them make better decisions about putting trash where it needs to go, instead of down storm drains and manholes,” Brown said. “Getting water professionals out talking to customers and members of the community is the best thing your utility can do to build trust. Down theroad, they feel like their water professionals are looking out for them and they realize the critical role we play in public health.”

CCWA provides water, sewer and storm water services to more than a quarter of a million people throughout Clayton County and its six cities through approximately 82,000 customer accounts.