Volunteers are needed for the Arnold Stream Team 211’s annual summer cleanup set for Saturday, Aug. 26, at Arnold City Park, 2400 Bradley Beach Road.
The volunteers are asked to meet at 8 a.m. at the Kiwanis Pavilion in the park on Bradley Beach Road off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River. A light breakfast will be served at the pavilion, said Brian Waldrop, who co-chairs the Stream Team with Bernie Arnold.
Waldrop said the Stream Team will provide volunteers gloves and bags to collect trash from the city’s waterways and parks. He said the first 80 volunteers will receive T-shirts, based on availability and sizes needed.
Waldrop said volunteers should bring water bottles, and those with canoes and kayaks are encouraged to bring those to help remove debris from the waterways.
He also said the Stream Team will serve volunteers lunch, starting just before noon at the Kiwanis Pavilion.
Waldrop said recent flooding has left behind some debris that needs to be removed.
“We have a few sites selected. There are some new areas and, sadly, some reoccurring areas,” he said.
Waldrop said the Stream Team won’t announce what specific areas will be cleaned up because in the past when they were announced, some people intentionally dumped trash in those areas.
Arnold Stream Team 211 started cleaning up in and around waterways in the city in 1991.
The group typically holds events on the first Saturday in March and final Saturday in August, with the summer event being held during the Open Space STL’s Operation Clean Stream event that focuses on cleaning the Meramec River watershed.
“We get our drinking water from this water,” Waldrop said. “To keep the waters free so we have clean water and nothing gets sucked up into intake pipes is important.
“It also helps the city of Arnold with its federal and state stormwater regulations by doing these cleanups. Because the city of Arnold helps us, they get credit for it.”
Waldrop said the city will provide a dump truck and employees to collect the trash from volunteers and dispose of it properly after the event.
Waldrop said the Stream Team hopes to get between 75 and 125 volunteers to show up for this year’s cleanup.
Last year, he said 94 volunteers participated in the effort, when 95 tires and 1,060 gallons of trash were collected. Last year’s volunteers and Stream Team members also collected seven 5-gallon buckets, three 55-gallon plastic barrels, two 55-gallon metal barrels, a cassette player and other items.
“This is a great team builder and way to connect with people you don’t know,” Waldrop said. “It will get you in places that you probably would not have thought about going or you probably would not have gone. It also brings you a little closer to nature.”