The French River Connection conducts multiple cleanups each year. The towns of Webster and Dudley hold Earth Day events which allow us to easily dispose of river trash. These events are usually somewhat limited by spring water levels, so we attack common dumping areas. In August we plan for a more extensive cleanup at low water levels in less accessible areas where trash has been accumulating for decades, removing everything from water bottles to automobile axles to refigerators to the ubiquitous take-out coffee cups. We find that after an initial industrial-strength cleanup, keeping an area clean requires about ten percent of the effort annually. In the last four years we have removed tons of trash and hundreds of tires from about 3.5 miles of riverbank, and have cleaned several miles of roadside near the river. The areas we have cleaned are shown in red.
Some our cleanup expenses have been paid for by a grant from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
