For nearly three decades, the City of Atascadero has partnered with Atascadero Mutual Water Company to host an annual community clean-up event for the area’s creeks and river.
Manager for Atascadero Mutual Water Conservation, Jamie Hendrickson, explained how the past 27 years of cleanups have resulted in less trash.
“The creeks are a lot cleaner than they used to be. We see a lot of areas that are maintained by the community regularly so you may not see trash,” Hendrickson said.
During this year’s community clean-up, volunteers will focus their efforts on dog poop.
"We have a lot of people who unfortunately are not cleaning up after their dogs when they’re letting them run. So we have a group dedicated just to cleaning up dog poop in this area,” Hendrickson said.
Community member Lacy Cruz said she used to live right by the Atascadero Creek and has seen various types of trash accumulate there.
“The creek still needs some help in getting cleaned up. A lot of it is debris from the weather and then also trash from various parts of the neighborhood. The animals come through there. So it’s kind of a cumulative thing that ends up in the creek there, ” Cruz said.
Atascadero City Councilmember Charles Bourbeau participates in the cleanup every year and shared why he thinks residents feel inclined to volunteer.
“A lot of our folks like to walk along the creek, use the De Anza Trail near the Salinas River - so it’s nice for them to have something more attractive to look at,” Bourbeau said.
The 28th Annual Atascadero River & Creek Clean-up will take place Saturday, September 28th from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers who’d like to attend can simply head to 6575 Sycamore Road at 9 a.m. to get started. It’s recommended that volunteers bring gloves, buckets and water bottles.
