Town of Beloit plans Rock River volunteer cleanup | Local News
TOWN OF BELOIT—Cleaner waters means a healthier living environment for everyone in the area, said Town of Beloit Community Development Director Tim Kienbaum, as the township prepares for a Rock River cleanup event.
“We’re just trying to keep pollution out of our rivers, lakes and streams. In the end our water quality affects all of us,” Kienbaum said.
The 2021 Waterways Cleanup is scheduled for 10 a.m.—noon on Sept. 11 at Preservation Park, 3444 S. Riverside Dr.
Volunteers who register by Aug. 21 will receive a free T-shirt at the event.
Volunteers will start at Preservation Park, and work their way along the riverbanks toward Armstrong Eddy Park.
The volunteer cleanup started several years ago, but Kienbaum said the township took a year off in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Many area municipalities have joined forces to form a group dedicated to similar cleanup events and other initiatives geared towards ensuring cleaner waters along the Rock River, Kienbaum said.
Included in the Rock River Stormwater Group (RRSG) are: the Town of Beloit, City of Beloit, Beaver Dam, Janesville, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Milton, Watertown, Waupun, City of Whitewater and UW-Whitewater.
Their efforts also have helped to keep up with routine Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) standards. The township is one of many municipalities that holds an MS4 permit, which is related to management of pollution due to storm water runoff.
“It’s a big deal to us because it gives us access to additional resources and expertise,” Kienbaum said.
Kienbaum said the township has received help over the years from UW-Whitewater students, who have assisted with promotional information or volunteering related to the cleanup efforts.
“They kind of help us pull it together,” Kienbaum said.
Andy Dahl, an assistant professor of marketing at UW-Whitewater, has served for five years as faculty adviser for UW-Whitewater students involved in the regional Rock River cleanup efforts.
By sharing resources, Dahl said everyone benefits. He added that each citizen can take proactive steps to minimizing river pollution, and part of the group’s mission is to educate the public on how they can help keep local waterways clean.
Some ways residents can help minimize pollution include properly disposing of garbage and recyclables, not dumping lawn clippings into storm drains, avoiding littering, reducing salt usage during winter and volunteering.
In 2019, when the last cleanup event was held in the township, about 200 volunteers showed up, Dahl said.
When certain harmful materials are dumped into storage drains, it can kill off fish or cause unwanted algae blooms in local rivers.
The volunteers have discovered some surprises during past events, Dahl said. They have fished all sorts of items out of the Rock River, including tires, bicycles, bottles and television sets.
“What happens upstream also impacts the water quality and wildlife,” Dahl said. “We hope to see more people and clean up more trash so we can prevent it from ending up in the waterways.”
