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LOOKING BACK: DONORA - MONONGAHELA RIVER CLEANUP 2023
In 2023, as part of the 1948 SMOG 75th YEAR OF REMEMBRANCE schedule of events, we did a very successful Monongahela River Cleanup in Donora in partnership with Allegheny CleanWays.
To see the details and results of the 2023 cleanup event, please click - 1948 Smog 75th Year of Remembrance and cursor down to May 19, 2023, as part of that Schedule of Events.
In 2023, as part of the 1948 SMOG 75th YEAR OF REMEMBRANCE schedule of events, we did a very successful Monongahela River Cleanup in Donora in partnership with Allegheny CleanWays.
To see the details and results of the 2023 cleanup event, please click - 1948 Smog 75th Year of Remembrance and cursor down to May 19, 2023, as part of that Schedule of Events.
ALLEGHENY CLEANWAYS BACKGROUND
Allegheny CleanWays’ primary goal is to clean up illegal dumpsites and litter both on land and in waterways throughout Allegheny County and beyond.
Mission - Allegheny CleanWays is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2000 to "engage and empower people to eliminate illegal dumping and littering in Allegheny County."
Vision - A clean, beautiful, and safe county for everyone.
ACW's primary water-based cleanup program, The Tireless Project, is aimed at getting Allegheny County residents engaged with the local rivers and streams through cleaning up debris that accumulates along the shorelines. Using their various boats, their team works with volunteers to remove trash and educates them about issues affecting our waterways.
Over the years, their crew has seen the makeup of our waterway's material pollution change, from older legacy waste (household appliances/building materials) to more and more plastic. The immense quantities of plastic waste in our waterways, along with a continued presence of vehicle tires and other manufactured materials, pose major health threats to wildlife and humans. The chemicals within them break apart and enter the food web, eventually finding their way into our bodies.
That is why it is critical they continue to actively remove the buildup of dangerous pollution in our waterways and rally together to advocate sustainable changes in industrial production/consumption from economic and governmental leaders.
Mission - Allegheny CleanWays is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2000 to "engage and empower people to eliminate illegal dumping and littering in Allegheny County."
Vision - A clean, beautiful, and safe county for everyone.
ACW's primary water-based cleanup program, The Tireless Project, is aimed at getting Allegheny County residents engaged with the local rivers and streams through cleaning up debris that accumulates along the shorelines. Using their various boats, their team works with volunteers to remove trash and educates them about issues affecting our waterways.
Over the years, their crew has seen the makeup of our waterway's material pollution change, from older legacy waste (household appliances/building materials) to more and more plastic. The immense quantities of plastic waste in our waterways, along with a continued presence of vehicle tires and other manufactured materials, pose major health threats to wildlife and humans. The chemicals within them break apart and enter the food web, eventually finding their way into our bodies.
That is why it is critical they continue to actively remove the buildup of dangerous pollution in our waterways and rally together to advocate sustainable changes in industrial production/consumption from economic and governmental leaders.
DONORA - MONONGAHELA RIVER CLEANUP 2024
Because of the success of the 2023 Monongahela River Cleanup event, Allegheny CleanWays (ACW) wanted to return to Donora to do another cleanup in 2024.
NOTE: Since our 2023 cleanup, the river level had dropped after the removal of the Elizabeth Lock and Dam #3 in July exposing legacy trash that went undetected in 2023 because most of it was under water at the time.
PREWORK: A couple of volunteers from Donora had done some prework in the weeks leading up to September 28 with digging out tires and organizing some trash on the riverbank.
Allegheny CleanWays brought some different resources to Donora in 2024 that included:
And then there were their volunteers who travelled in to help us clean up our town from places like:
Because of the success of the 2023 Monongahela River Cleanup event, Allegheny CleanWays (ACW) wanted to return to Donora to do another cleanup in 2024.
NOTE: Since our 2023 cleanup, the river level had dropped after the removal of the Elizabeth Lock and Dam #3 in July exposing legacy trash that went undetected in 2023 because most of it was under water at the time.
PREWORK: A couple of volunteers from Donora had done some prework in the weeks leading up to September 28 with digging out tires and organizing some trash on the riverbank.
Allegheny CleanWays brought some different resources to Donora in 2024 that included:
- their crew
- K 'n B aluminum hulled boat
- ACW dumpster truck for tires
- ACW pickup truck to recycle metal
- rented dumpster for random trash
And then there were their volunteers who travelled in to help us clean up our town from places like:
- Mt. Lebanon
- Delmont
- East End
- Polish Hill
- Northside Pittsburgh
- Monongahela
- Donora
FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 27th
On Friday, September 27th, Allegheny CleanWays brought their K 'n B aluminum hulled boat (see the photo at the top of this page) from Pittsburgh down to Donora via the Monongahela River. A dumpster to collect trash was also dropped off earlier on Friday for use on Saturday. Four of us, two from ACW and two from Donora, cruised around the river to assess the legacy trash that would be picked up the next day.
On Friday, September 27th, Allegheny CleanWays brought their K 'n B aluminum hulled boat (see the photo at the top of this page) from Pittsburgh down to Donora via the Monongahela River. A dumpster to collect trash was also dropped off earlier on Friday for use on Saturday. Four of us, two from ACW and two from Donora, cruised around the river to assess the legacy trash that would be picked up the next day.
SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 28th
The majority of garbage that we cleaned up in 2023 was different from what we cleaned up in 2024. In 2023, we got a lot more random garbage that included 18 tires. This year, due to the dropping of the Mon River, it was a veritable "tire fest". With a lot more of the riverbank exposed, there were tires buried up to their sidewalls everywhere. While we didn't get every tire, we got 57 of them that included five heavy truck tires, three times more than the 18 recovered the year before. Aside from tires, we cleaned up 1,655 pounds of manufactured waste that included parts from a freezer, 55-gallon drums, a shop vac bucket, tarps and scrap metal.
The most important number of course, is that we again had zero (0) injuries for the second year in a row. That's Zero with a big Z!
The tires and scrap metal were slated to be recycled by ACW.
While the cleanup was scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 on a Saturday morning, we didn't finish until 1:00 p.m.
Did we get every bit of trash? No, but we think we got a great majority.
The photos below show how the trash was picked up and offloaded to dumpsters.
The majority of garbage that we cleaned up in 2023 was different from what we cleaned up in 2024. In 2023, we got a lot more random garbage that included 18 tires. This year, due to the dropping of the Mon River, it was a veritable "tire fest". With a lot more of the riverbank exposed, there were tires buried up to their sidewalls everywhere. While we didn't get every tire, we got 57 of them that included five heavy truck tires, three times more than the 18 recovered the year before. Aside from tires, we cleaned up 1,655 pounds of manufactured waste that included parts from a freezer, 55-gallon drums, a shop vac bucket, tarps and scrap metal.
The most important number of course, is that we again had zero (0) injuries for the second year in a row. That's Zero with a big Z!
The tires and scrap metal were slated to be recycled by ACW.
While the cleanup was scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 on a Saturday morning, we didn't finish until 1:00 p.m.
Did we get every bit of trash? No, but we think we got a great majority.
The photos below show how the trash was picked up and offloaded to dumpsters.
DONORA RIVERFRONT CLEANUP RECAP - 2024
0 INCIDENTS1 MILE1 BOAT57 TIRES15 PICKERS1,655 POUNDS
0 INCIDENTS1 MILE1 BOAT57 TIRES15 PICKERS1,655 POUNDS
ACW Program Director Lyssa (second from the left) and ACW Boat Captain and Water Program Coordinator Ben (far left) review safety tips and goals for the day with some of the cleanup volunteers.
The ACW volunteer community never ceases to amaze us. One guy even showed up and worked one-handed with his other hand being limited due to an accident a couple days prior. Instead of carrying a tire in each hand, he carried two with one - no problem.
Photo courtesy of ACW
Photo courtesy of ACW
Two other volunteers picking up trash along the riverbank. Susan, the woman on the right, is from Donora.
Photo courtesy of ACW
Photo courtesy of ACW
ACW Boat Captain Ben on shore hauling two of the 57 total tires that we recovered from the riverbank and in the water. Another volunteer is also seen collecting tires.
Digging and handling a tire in the mud is not an easy task. Multiply that effort by 57 and you'll have an idea of how much effort was expended by our volunteers. Some tires still had their metal rims and were loaded with water instead of air. Those tires were even heavier than tires without rims and water.
Photo courtesy of ACW
Digging and handling a tire in the mud is not an easy task. Multiply that effort by 57 and you'll have an idea of how much effort was expended by our volunteers. Some tires still had their metal rims and were loaded with water instead of air. Those tires were even heavier than tires without rims and water.
Photo courtesy of ACW
ACW Boat Caption and Water Program Coordinator Ben on the K 'n B aluminum-hulled boat with a load of trash ready to be off-loaded.
Photo courtesy of ACW
Photo courtesy of ACW
A good load of trash on the K 'n B boat ready to be off-loaded.
Trash was collected along the riverbank in various piles during the morning. Near the end of our cleanup, we went back with the K 'n B boat to pick up each pile and off-load it near the bottom of the ramp to be loaded into the ACW pickup truck to be shuttled up to the dumpsters.
Photo courtesy of ACW
ACW rented a dumpster for manufactured waste that included everything we picked up except tires and scrap metal. The tires and scrap metal were sorted into other dumpsters or buckets to be recycled.
Since the dumpsters were located on the very top of the riverbank entrance at the top of the ramp, the ACW pickup truck was on hand to help shuttle trash and tires from the riverbank to the dumpsters.
The ACW dumpster from their ACW dumpster truck was let down for easy loading of just tires for recycling. ACW's Tireless Project counts and recycles all tires that are found in all of their water or land cleanups. The tires are weighed and counted to measure their annual progress.
The ACW dumpster from their ACW dumpster truck was filling up fast with the 57 tires that were dug up and recovered from the riverbank. All of these tires would be recycled at a later date.
How old were some of the tires that were recovered? This particular tire was still partially buried under two feet of dirt in a washed-out riverbank gulley before it was recovered. The sidewall of this 30" diameter tire says, "Corliss Balloon" and "Corliss Rubber Company". It is believed that this tire is close to 100 years old and was one of four from a Ford Model T-type automobile from the 1920s.
This tire was not recycled but kept by the Donora Historical Society.
This tire was not recycled but kept by the Donora Historical Society.
The ACW dumpster truck fully loaded with 56 of the 57 recovered tires. The Donora Historical Society kept the 100-year-old tire mentioned above, just because it was cool and to research it further.
The ACW pickup was loaded with scrap metal ready to be recycled. Most of the scrap was old tire rims, electrical motors and industrial scrap.
OVERALL IMPACT
DONORA RIVERFRONT CLEANUP RECAP - 2023+2024
If you add up the totals from the cleanups in 2023 and 2024, you'll find our impact was significant:
0 INCIDENTS60 PICKERS75 TIRES4,007 POUNDS - over 2 tons of garbage
DONORA RIVERFRONT CLEANUP RECAP - 2023+2024
If you add up the totals from the cleanups in 2023 and 2024, you'll find our impact was significant:
0 INCIDENTS60 PICKERS75 TIRES4,007 POUNDS - over 2 tons of garbage
THANK YOU Allegheny CleanWays
Thank you to Allegheny CleanWays for partnering with us again in Donora on September 28th, and to all of their dedicated volunteers!
Thank you to Allegheny CleanWays for partnering with us again in Donora on September 28th, and to all of their dedicated volunteers!
GOING FORWARD - UNTAPPED DONORA RECREATIONAL RESOURCE
With the exposure of more of the riverbank due to the dam removal, Donora has an untapped recreational resource that can be used for hiking and exploring industrial history. The entire 3.5-mile Donora riverbank can now be accessed by foot which wasn't the case before. After the cleanup, the riverbank looks more inviting to do just that.
With the exposure of more of the riverbank due to the dam removal, Donora has an untapped recreational resource that can be used for hiking and exploring industrial history. The entire 3.5-mile Donora riverbank can now be accessed by foot which wasn't the case before. After the cleanup, the riverbank looks more inviting to do just that.
HELP US CONTINUE THE EFFORT
If you see trash, do your part and pick it up. If it's your trash, throw it away properly.
In the end and in remembrance of the 1948 Smog victims, we think we made an impact in our community and with our youth and improved Donora by just a little bit. We hope that we inspire others to protect our environment and think of other ways to keep it clean.
If you see trash, do your part and pick it up. If it's your trash, throw it away properly.
In the end and in remembrance of the 1948 Smog victims, we think we made an impact in our community and with our youth and improved Donora by just a little bit. We hope that we inspire others to protect our environment and think of other ways to keep it clean.
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