San Marcos holds 37th Annual Great Texas River Clean-Up

Christopher Green | Staff Reporter

The City of San Marcos in conjunction with the Texas River Protection Association held the 37th Annual Great Texas River Clean-Up on Saturday, March 5. 

The goal of the event is to gather as much litter as possible from the entire 90 miles of the San Marcos River as well as areas around the Blanco River. 

The event is planned by the City of San Marcos, The City of Kyle and the State of Texas. On the day of the clean-up, there were over 1,000 people who registered to volunteer.

Community Enhancement Initiatives Manager Amy Thomaides said the clean-up has expanded to the whole San Marcos River in recent years as well as areas around the Blanco River. 

“We decided that we will expand it to the whole San Marcos River watershed, which is why we have these different headquarters that people can sign into for those watersheds, and we’re looking at our major Creek, so Willow Springs Creek, Sink Creek, Sessom Creek, then we’re also looking at a couple of major drainage ditches that we see accumulate a lot of trash throughout the year,” said Thomaides.

Thomaides also said a lot of the trash that is cleaned up is foam containers, plastic materials and tires. Volunteers also find illegal dumpsites during the clean-up.

David Zambrano, one of the volunteers who help coordinate some of the volunteer clean-up teams, said he helps volunteer crews get the equipment they need to clean trash from the waterways. 

“Depending on the size and scope of the cleanup, we do try and make equipment available. So, kayaks, paddles, gloves, mesh bags, all the things that they need to have on the water to be successful, said Zambrano. 

Zambrano said people can take a hands-on approach to keep the river clean.

“I would say if you see it for the gem, that it is, then do everything you can proactively to take care of it so that certain events aren’t as necessary,” said Zambrano. 

Local resident Lauren Vecchio volunteered for the River Clean-up for the first time this year and was assigned with picking up trash from streets near the river. 

“We’re the ones without a kayak, so we’re just going by foot,” said Vecchio.

Official weights and numbers gathered from the clean-up on Saturday will be available later this week.