Hundreds of Lane County volunteers will take to the water and the shore this weekend to freshen up the Willamette River.
The Great Willamette Clean Up takes place Saturday along the entire river, from Oakridge to Portland. Michelle Emmons heads up the Lane County effort. She says the event happens every year in early fall:
Emmons: “Typically the water is really low right now so there’s a lot of debris that’s surfacing up on the riverbanks and areas along the banks that are not exposed during high water times, so it gives us a great opportunity to go in there and clean out that trash and debris.”
Emmons says over 400 people have already signed up online to help. Willamette Riverkeeper is coordinating efforts with several groups, including the University of Oregon’s Outdoor Program as well as Eugene and Springfield.