The annual Adopt-A-Shore event held on September 19 was very successful again this year, according to county officials.
The county’s Aquatic Services has participated in the event for the past 20 years, according to Aquatics Director Mark Edwards. Volunteers again collected debris from the West Coast rivers, canals/marshes and the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes.
The debris collected by the volunteers was placed at 13 designated disposal sites, and Aquatic Services staff collected the debris after the event was over and took it to the Citrus County Landfill. All the tires, scrap metal, electronic equipment and some of the cans and bottles were recycled. The remaining trash was disposed of as solid waste.
Two “appreciation” BBQ’s were held for the volunteers after the clean-up, one in the Lakes Region and one in the Gulf Region. Additionally, all participants received a T-shirt, hat, gloves, trash bags and bottled water for participating in the clean-up. The hats and gloves were paid for by the county at a cost of $4,358 while the bottled water and T-shirts were made possible from various donations. The trash bags were supplied by the Ocean Conservancy.
There were 29 groups with a total 667 participants this year. About 8,680 lbs, or 4.34 tons, was collected. Some of the peculiar items recovered include: a car battery, a car hood, a lawn mower, a chest freezer, a grill and various chairs.
Edwards said, “I personally would like to thank all volunteers, as well as various groups for their donations and the Ocean Conservancy, along with the hard work of our staff, in making this year’s event such a success.”
Anyone interested in taking part in upcoming Adopt-A-Shore events can call Aquatic Services at 527-7620.
