JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa — A major group effort from earlier this month is now being celebrated. More than 50 volunteers took to the water and riverbanks on October 11 for the 9th Annual Iowa River Cleanup, removing 3.4 tons of trash from a nine-mile stretch of the river between Sturgis Ferry and Hills.
Organizers say 54 volunteers worked throughout the day on Saturday, Oct. 11, collecting debris from canoes and along the shore. The cleanup effort included 21 tires and about 400 pounds of scrap metal, along with countless smaller items like plastic bags, wrappers and bottles.
Each canoe came back filled with muddy, waterlogged trash. Volunteers spent about seven hours paddling and digging out waste, while land crews helped unload hundreds of pounds of debris as boats came in…