Saturday, April 6, 2024
On a windy Saturday morning, 292 FOTO volunteers worked to intercept debris from the shores and water of the Occoquan River/Reservoir before it entered the Chesapeake Bay and ocean. The Occoquan River is also the source of drinking water for one million people in Northern Virginia.
Equipped with gloves and trash grabbers, the volunteers collectively removed 2.8 tons of trash. The items collected were 272 bags of trash and five large 50-gallon drums, five gasoline cans, 15 pieces of wood with nails, four Styrofoam pieces, a lawn chair, two coolers, two hubcaps, and one large metal piece.
The River Heroes included the Boy Scout Troops 501B&G, BS Troop 1396, BS Pack 1365, Girl Scout Troop 54063, Woodbridge High School Crew, Lake Ridge Middle School, Alan Starks with American Water and Nikki Bellezza with Fairfax Water employees, the Bull Run Rotary Club and Osbourn Park High School of Manassas, Trail Keepers Coalition, Sandy Run Scullers, Fame Church. Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), including numerous families with children and other participants.
The sites cleaned up in Fairfax County were Bull Run Park/Marina, including the Occoquan Forest area, Fountainhead Park/Marina, the Occoquan Regional Park, Lake Ridge Marina, the Town of Occoquan, Northshore, and Harbour Brethren in Prince William County.
FOTO is grateful to all the dedicated volunteers who braved the cold and windy weather, including the Park Managers, Fairfax, and Prince William County staff. We also thank our sponsors, site captains, helpers, and FOTO Team.
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