Organizations clean up Raritan River

In an effort to help restore the Raritan River, more than 150 volunteers cleaned up garbage littering the banks of the Mile Run Brook in New Brunswick.
Community members, students and organizations contributed Saturday to the fifth annual Raritan-Wide Earth Day Clean Up. Sponsored by the Raritan River Earth Day Coalition, the clean up consisted of 15 environment-oriented and local community groups, said New Jersey Public Interest Research Group Media Intern Casey Economides.
“We basically wanted to highlight the Raritan River because it’s essential to New Jersey, not only because it’s the largest river but it also supplies 1.2 million people with their drinking water,” said Economides, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student. “However, it’s the 14th polluted river in the nation.”
She said the coalition organized 23 clean up sites along the Raritan, and the University’s New Jersey Community Water Watch chapter organized three clean up sites at the Mile Run Brook and Lawrence Brook in New Brunswick and the Meadows in Highland Park.
Around 10 a.m., volunteers gathered at Buccleuch Park for the kickoff of the Mile Run Brook clean up. After a welcome by representatives of NJ Water Watch, AmeriCorps and the New Brunswick City Council, volunteers were provided with gloves and trash bags for the clean up, which lasted until 2 p.m.
At a Children’s Water Festival, children were also able to participate in environmental education activities at the park.
Buccleuch Park was chosen as the kickoff location for the clean up because it was near the Mile Run Brook, Economides said.
“The reason why we targeted the Mile Run Brook specifically was because a decade ago there was a specialty company that was dumping their waste into the brook and it caused a hazardous waste site,” she said. “It was actually NJ Water Watch interns that discovered the waste site and it’s [been] a decade later; it’s still not fully restored.”
Despite this, Economides said they made a significant difference with the clean up.
“Not only are we able to educate people our age and the people that are older but the generation below us so that they can carry on these tips for being able to keep the water clean and the environment,” she said.
NJPIRG Water Watch Intern Hawwa Muhammad said the annual Raritan River-Wide clean up was a success.
“Gradually, as more and more people attend throughout the years it really speaks to the awareness we’re spreading as a group and the power of student activism,” said Muhammad, a Rutgers College senior.
NJPIRG Water Watch Intern Kevin Lin said the group recovered a substantial amount of trash.
“Today’s Earth Day event not only was about picking up trash, but it highlights the importance of protecting and restoring the Raritan River to its original glory,” said Lin, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.
Rutgers College junior Steven Shaw said he was amazed the entire Raritan community spawned 1,300 volunteers from 15 organizations helped clean the 23 sites.
“My clean up group stationed at Kilmer Avenue was completely shocked and disgusted by the conditions,” he said. “These volunteers really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to witness the conditions in these areas in New Brunswick.”

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