After receiving a message from an Easton resident who is planning on doing clean-ups in his area, I decided to go back to the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware to see what conditions are like down there. This is an area that does not receive the attention it needs in the way of being cleaned up. It is also a place I wish I could spend more time working on. The first thing I did on this trip was pick up the items around the overflowing trash can in this photo, compacted the items in it and secured the lid. The DCNR or the City of Easton should do a better job of maintaining this can if it is going to be left at this location.
There were recent rains, but I didn't think the rivers would be as high as they were. This limited some of the areas I could get to. In this area I found trash in the same spots as every other trip here and areas like this can be very disheartening when you repeatedly put time and effort into cleaning them up. To me this just means more work needs to be done on them, more people need to see others cleaning up these areas and the repetition needs to be done until there is a change.
There have been no high water events since my last clean-up here so everything I found on the bank were items that people left behind and were not wash downs from up the rivers.
From the area around the confluence I took the D&L Trail down below the other rail bridges and took a side trail back to the bank of the Delaware. From here I started cleaning up the bank and working my way up towards the area I was just at.
There are hazards when doing these clean-ups and I do my best to avoid certain situations. I started to take a trail through knotweed, working my way up the bank and then I noticed this stroller. It did not look heavily weathered and it looked like it was full of something. This is an area that there are commonly encampments and this could be someone's means of moving their items around. I do not want a confrontation with anyone, especially with someone who may think I am taking their things, when I am really just doing a clean-up. I decided to avoid this area and headed back to the car. Always avoid encampments, especially around cities. In this specific area I have seen individuals shooting up and acting in very odd ways.
The first round yielded a full burlap sack full of trash. Since the trash can was full at this location I was left to take both the recyclables and trash with me and everything was loaded in the car.
I didn't really want to, but I ended up looking down into the lock entrance. I knew what I was going to see and that there was nothing I could do about it. Because of boating regulations in regards to the close proximity of a dam I can't access this area by boat at any time of the year. It bothers me every time I see this and this is something that the DCNR, Fish and Boat Commission or the City of Easton should take care of on a regular basis and I have seen no evidence that any of them do.
For round two I headed back down the D&L Trail and I had hoped the river was not too high to access portions of the bank further down. It was, but I still worked on collecting discarded items on the trailside.
This belongs to the City of Easton, it is clearly labeled as such and has been there for many years. The city should be liable for it's removal.
Every section of bank I had hoped to walk was under water. I was shocked that the river was up several feet since my last visit. It is amazing what a single rain event can do.
The water was too cold and moving to swiftly to try to get this inflatable watercraft I spotted from the trail. If no one else retrieves it, it may be hung up enough that it will still be there in the spring.
You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash
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