SPOTLIGHT: Dog River Clearwater Revival Strives to “Trap the Trash” with a Bandalong Litter Trap
An island of trash on Dog River (Ben Raines, Press-Register)
After years of witnessing the quality of the water in their watershed decline, Dog River Clearwater Revival (DRCR), a non-profit organization of local citizens, has taken matters into their own hands. No longer willing to wait on the City of Mobile to be accountable, the advocacy group has launched a campaign to raise money for the purchase of a Bandalong Litter Trap, which will make cleaning the river much easier for volunteers.
To date, DRCR has received donations from the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, City of Mobile – Keep Mobile Beautiful, Sybil H. Smith Charitable Trust, JL Bedsole Trust, the Alabama Power Foundation and funds donated directly from members of their own group. The Bandalong Litter Trap, to be installed on Montlimar Creek, will be maintained by the DRCR Keep It Clean Committee who has worked with litter barriers for several years and knows that effectively trapping litter and debris in the shallows upstream makes it easier for volunteers to collect and remove.
According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), litter has become a major source of pollution to Dog River, which drains more than 90 square miles of land in Mobile County. The main source of litter pollution in Dog River is generated by commercial sites and much to the dismay of DRCR, businesses have not been held accountable. Although DRCR’s main mission is to make their Dog River clean and safe for generations to come, their environmental commitment is greater. Dog River discharges into Mobile Bay, which ultimately empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Trash in Dog River on a Kayaking Trip
“Since litter and debris in Dog River is ultimately emptied into the Gulf of Mexico, stopping the trash before it reaches the Mobile Bay is key,” Claire Wilson, DRCR Keep It Clean Committee Chair says. “Litter in our oceans has detrimental effects on marine life. After all of the trauma the Gulf of Mexico has experienced in the last few years, we should be making every effort possible to prevent any further damage.”
Recently, a Mobile, AL local filmed his kayaking trip and documented the mass amounts of trash floating in Dog River. The video, “Dog River Scenic Blueway Woes,” showed what the river looked like following an afternoon thunderstorm that dumped about 2.5 inches of rain in about an hour. The video got the community in an uproar.
Watch “Dog River Scenic Blueway Woes” Here
For more information, visit www.dogriver.org/trap-the-trash.html