Schuylkill River (17-Nov-2015)

Late in the morning I set out for Hamburg, PA. I wanted to see what lower sections of the Schuylkill were like and how much accessibility there was for next years river clean-ups. I have passed through the area on route 61 before, but I have never been to any of the locations I stopped at today. It ended up being a great day. A good amount of trash was taken out and I learned a little more than I do on most trips. 

One of the few pieces of trash along the river in this section.

This old bridge was along the trail. I just thought it was different.

A trailside sign explained that this area is where all of the sediment from dredging operations on the Schuylkill was placed. Work has been done to restore the area to a semi-natural state and it is currently being used as a study plot. 

Not much at all from the trails and riverside at this location. I decided to go look for the dam, which ended up not being hard at all. When I was loading this into the car a Fish and Boat Commission vehicle passed and went down a small road that I wasn't sure was even open. I decided the dam was probably down that road, so that's the way I went and of course it was there.

The dam. Finding this was my main goal today. I wanted to see what the boat launch and the surrounding riverbank was like. 

This looked familiar. The building and what I would guess is a dock area, is exactly the same as the one located below Landingville, where I was working on river clean-ups earlier this year. The sign that I found earlier explained that these were built for the dredging projects. Both are located above dams where the sediment and unwanted items in it built up.

If I could I would sit down and talk to some of these people who leave this litter in the river. I wouldn't talk about trash, just life. I just want to have some understanding of the person who finds this acceptable. 

How long until we remove these dams? They really serve no purpose, but for recreation. In some cases, like kayaking longer distances, it would be better without them. Portaging around most dams is a pain. I know there are some fishermen and boaters who would disagree, but I think we should get rid of these sooner than later.  

What could be more useful a week before Thanksgiving! A river turkey baster! Now I was really tempted to take this and use it on the bird next week, but I threw it out. I know, I know, it would have come in handy and there is a good chance it would have added additional flavor, however, I refrained. 

Everything collected from below the dam. A good amount of items, but nothing like the banks upstream. I was happy and confused with the lack of trash compared to what I have already dealt with on the Schuylkill. 

Driving out the long narrow road from the dam I noticed this party pile. With small metal guardrail on both sides I couldn't just pull over and park to take care of it. I carefully maneuvered the car and turned around. Parked in the first pull off I found and headed back down the road until I found a trail. The trail took me right to it and I removed everything, but the clothes. The clothes were wet, I don't know what they were soaked in and because of that I didn't want them in my car.
 

From the party pile I could see something orange in the river. It turned out to be a large pumpkin. As far as river trash goes, pumpkins aren't bad, they biodegrade. 

Found a couple more things on the riverside and along the road on the way back to the car. For a quick stop it ended up being a fair amount. With trash loaded, I set out for a hike along the AT before I traveled home, the hike will be in my next post. 

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 at:gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash