Simultaneous cleanup events held in the New River Valley brought citizens and students together for the third regional ReNew the New Clean-up event Aug. 25.
Building off the success of the last two years, this year’s event amplified the NRV tradition of volunteering by cleaning up 13 miles of river and roadway, and removing over 5 tons of trash and tires from the New River Watershed.
Three hundred and fifty people attended the event, in the City of Radford and Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski counties.
Since 2016, 1,275 volunteers working in ReNew the New Clean-up events removed over 875 bags of trash and an estimated 700 tires, totaling more than 20 tons.
These volunteers covered over 50 miles of roads and riverfront during those two years .
August’s event marked the third time the NRV has come together as a region to hold a clean up of its watershed.
Volunteers came from student groups at Virginia Tech, along with local volunteers from each locality.
Outfitters stationed along the New River provided guidance and watercraft for those cleaning up waterways, with administrative support coming from the local government staff from all five localities.
The regional ReNew the New Clean-up Event was coordinated by the New River Watershed Roundtable, a consortium of local government agencies, businesses, advocacy groups, and the public.
Administered by the New River Valley Regional Commission, the Watershed Roundtable acts as a forum to promote watershed stewardship through fair, open dialogue, and community collaboration.
The New River Valley Regional Commission is one of 21 planning districts in Virginia whose commissions are chartered under Virginia law.
The organization encompasses the counties of Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski, and the City of Radford. The purpose of the Regional Commission is to promote regional cooperation, to coordinate the activities and policies of member local governments, and to provide planning assistance to local governments.
More information about the New River Watershed Roundtable can be found at www.nrvrc.org/watershedroundtable .
