SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — There are major efforts by the Sacramento area community to restore and remove thousands of pounds of trash left behind from encampments of unhoused residents near our waterways.
More than a dozen volunteers with River City Waterway Alliance worked Sunday in Natomas on a section off Steelhead Creek at Truxel Road and Green Highway.
They worked on just one area along Steelhead Creek where about 15,000-20,000 pounds of trash from a campsite was polluting the environment.
It's a sight many don't see, but the damage it's doing to the nature preserve is very real, volunteers said.
"With all the camps, people are being displaced from their own parkway. The camps not only bring in the debris, which is obvious, but the physical presence of humans with their lights and their dogs and their smells and their noise have segregated the ecological corridor," said Roland Brady, an independent geologist and River City Waterway Alliance volunteer.
He and a group of about 15 are working hard to restore and protect our waterways since the organization officially launched Jan. 14.
"Since then we've had I think 10 or 12 pretty big clean-ups. Today we are passing 100,000 pounds of trash and debris removed from waterways and riparian habitats adjacent to the waterways," said David Ingram, a co-founder of the River City Waterway Alliance.
The group was working quickly Sunday before the spring growth covers up the trash in the next few months.
As they work with communities of homeless encampments, the volunteers say they are mindful to respect those living alongside the rivers and creeks.
"We're one of the few organizations that will actually go in and work with live camps and the campers there," Ingram told ABC10. "We build relationships and trust because a lot of people that live, they don't have a lot of trust with other people."
They help remove unwanted trash and improve their conditions, all with safety at top of their minds.
"Unfortunately we do find lots of needles and other sharp objects. Dangerous objects. We take that very seriously. We have a crew that is well trained to handle those," said co-founder of River City Waterway Alliance, Cathleen Ford.
Moving in the right direction, the volunteers hope to work with county and city agencies to not just clean up, but to one day revisit these areas and see no trash in sight.
"This is a beautiful area. There's so much life here, not just animals, but plant life and bird life, fish life, frogs (and) otters. We've seen it all down here. But they're making their way through the trash, so we're just making it easier for them," said volunteer Crystal Tobias.
To continue to make a drastic dent in the trash pick-ups, River City Waterway Alliance is asking you to consider volunteering and making a difference.
You can check them out on the following links below:
