Latest river cleanup a success

The Aug. 20 river cleanup of the Portage River was called a success by event organizers.
The St. Joseph County Conservation District’s fifth of six cleanups scheduled this summer took place in Mendon Township from the Portage Lake public access to Parkville Road in Park Township.
Volunteer and conservation district board member John Nelson said 18 people took part in the event, which yielded more than 200 pounds of debris. He said the refuse consisted mainly of tires, bottles, cans and plastics.
Nelson said the task proved to be more of a challenge than usual, as the water had risen by two feet and was dirty because of the substantial rainfall in the days preceding the cleanup.
He added that the volunteers especially enjoyed the new access point at the Parkville Road bridge.
The final scheduled cleanup of 2016 takes place at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 10 on the Portage River. It will start on North Fisher Lake Road and conclude at Heimbach Road. There is a possibility the work will continue on to Carpenter Road, according to the schedule.