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Wanted: Volunteers to Help Clean Up River

SUNBURY — A group of volunteers is planning to pick up trash along the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County. Patrick McLaughlin spends a lot of time...

SUNBURY -- A group of volunteers is planning to pick up trash along the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County.

Patrick McLaughlin spends a lot of time camping in Northumberland County, and he enjoys fishing at the Sunbury Boat Launch.  He says it's disheartening to see all of the trash in and around the Susquehanna River.

"A true fisherman knows you bring out whatever you bring in.  When you fish and you see that there's a can there and stuff floating around, it kind of disappoints you,” McLaughlin said.

This weekend a large cleanup is set to take place here.  Zach Stotter founded the Susquehanna River cleanup project six years ago after the flood of 2011.

"It started off as a group of six to 12 people going out and getting pickup truck loads and we thought we'd get a big group together in the spring,” Zach Stotter said.

According to Stotter, in five years, the group has removed over 30,000 pounds of trash from the river.  More than half of that was able to be recycled.  With all of the recent rain, river levels are high, pushing trash and debris onto the river bank.

The cleanup had to be postponed twice this month because of the rain so the group is looking for extra volunteers this Saturday.

“It allows the community to come together on something that everyone sees as a valuable effort,” Stotter said.

People who spend time here appreciate what the group is doing.

"I think that's a good idea.  There's a lot of sections of the river you look and there's trash around.  The debris and sticks and stuff you really can't do much about that but you find cans and bottles,” Donald Auman said.

If you'd like to volunteer, just show up at the boat launch off South Front Street in Sunbury by 9 a.m.

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