The St. Joseph County Conservation District staged its final river cleanup of the season Saturday with a joint effort by two groups.
More than two dozen people took part in an effort on the Prairie River. One group started at the Centreville Canoe Park at the north end of the village, ending at Hoshel Road Canoe Park. The other group, which included a number of people satisfying community-service obligations, started at the Hoshel Road location and concluded at Lutz Road.
Organizers said the effort yielded more than 50 pounds of debris, including partial remains of a burn barrel, a tractor engine cover, and an assortment of bottles and cans.
The Centreville-based agency completed its seventh year of river cleanup events in an effort to clean all 150 miles of the six rivers in St. Joseph County.
This year, three cleanups focused on the St. Joseph River, starting at North Farrand Road in Colon Township and ending at Railroad Street Park in Mendon. Meanwhile, four cleanups in all took place on the Prairie River, beginning at Prairie Lake public access in Burr Oak Township and concluding with Saturday’s finale in Lockport Township.
In all, about 30 river miles were cleared this year.