Xstream Cleanup 2012

Xstream Cleanup is a local project here in the Quad Cities where volunteers clean up garbage in and along the local streams and rivers.  This annual project has been going on since 2004 and has literally removed TONS of trash from the waterways around here - everything from sunken barges, tractors and pianos to barbecue grills, bowling balls, and messages in bottles (over 60 and counting).

I Live Here!  And I am going to help keep it clean!

Here are some of the community-wide stats for this year:

658 Tires

16 Appliances

16 Bicycles

22 Pieces of Furniture

37 Televisions

16 Mattresses

Also pulled out were tarps, barrels, chain link fencing, road construction signs, gun parts, a holster and bullets, a knife, kiddie pools, strollers, a wedding dress, a Batman belt, carpet, a toilet, car batteries - bumpers - windshields - fenders, and yes, even the proverbial kitchen sink.

This year there were 1,476 volunteers, and members of our scout troop were in the mix.  

In total, 47,496 pounds of garbage were removed from the rivers and connecting waterways in the Quad Cities area.

Our troop site, at Pigeon Creek Park, produced plenty of trash for the picking.  Some was on shore...

... and some was out in the water, making it much more difficult to remove - what with the drag weight of the mud and water.

Tires and barrels, which looked like they should be easy to roll out of the river, were held down in the mud under the water with a powerful hold.

Our biggest find was a sealed 55 gallon drum.  It was sunk over halfway in the mud, and for a while we weren't sure we would be able to get it out.

Teamwork and determination finally got that barrel rolled up onto the shore.  

It was too big and heavy to transport through the brush to the parking lot, so the site was flagged for pickup by the Living Lands & Waters cleanup barge.  We were just glad that whatever is in it didn't leak out into the river.

With the drought, a lot more trash was visible on the banks and in the shallow water than in past years.  It was a great day, and the weather was perfect.  

Everyone out there was happy to be working and helping, even if they did get wet and dirty.

I think our most unexpected find was an Isabel Bloom pumpkin.  She was a local artist whose sculptures are iconic in this area.  Her studio remains in business here in the Quad Cities.

If you live in the Quad Cities and have never done the Xstream Cleanup before, put it on your calendar for next year.  Gloves and trash bags are provided, and you walk away with a free event t-shirt and a sense of satisfaction at having done something to help our lands and waters.