9th Annual Sweep the Hooch CleanUp - Walkers, Waders & Paddlers

1 day, Hundreds of Volunteers and TONS OF TRASH covering over 100 miles of the Chattahoochee River

Sweep the Hooch is an annual day of service to the Chattahoochee River mobilizing volunteers on foot, in waders, or paddlers to remove trash at sites throughout the watershed. Sweep the Hooch brings people together to give back to the mighty river that gives us so much.

Let's show some love for the river we so love!!!

Each participant is required to read the CRK Liability Waiver, which can be found here. This form will be authorized as an electronic signature during the registration process by clicking YES after "Have you read the CRK Liability and Photo Release Waiver and agree to the terms?" * YES at the start of the registration.

     1. 1st REGISTER with the Chattahoochee RiverKeeper at https://chattahoochee.org/sweep-the-hooch/ picking your site & task. You MUST register with the CRK to participate in this event.

     2. Then REGISTER here with the AOC noting which site & task you signed up for with CRK in your AOC registration NOTES.

 TO SEE THE SITES & TASKS AT EACH SITE ~
https://chattahoochee.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-STH-sites.pdf

All the sites are trash cleanup EXECPT Cochran Shoals/Columns Drive which is basic trail maintenance.

2019 VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENTS:

Volunteers can choose to be Walkers, Waders, or Paddlers. Each site has a limited amount of volunteer openings and will close once the site capacity is reached – so register early!

• WALKERS are land-based volunteers who will pick up trash and perform trail maintenance. At some sites, walkers will specifically target invasive non-native vegetation (such as privet).
• WADERS are volunteers equipped with waders or wading boots. Waders collect trash from the shallow water areas, and from areas on the river bank that are accessed most easily from the river and streamside trails. Volunteers must provide their own waders.
• PADDLERS utilize kayaks/canoes/SUPs and travel between 3-5 miles per segment. These crafts are useful in collecting debris from portions of the river that cannot be accessed from the land side. Volunteers must provide their own kayaks and/or canoes. Boats are not available on-site. Need to rent? Click here for a list of outfitters that may be able to provide gear.

CRK provides gloves, trash bags, trash removal and recycling (where available), restroom facilities, and team lead support. Be sure to wear long pants, long sleeve shirt & closed-toed shoes.

Beginning in 2011, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper worked with Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area to host the inaugural Sweep the Hooch cleanup. Since then, the event has grown to include numerous local partners, hundreds of volunteers and cleanup sites along more than 100 miles of the river. Through Sweep the Hooch since 2011, together we have removed more than 80 TONS of trash with the assistance of more than 4,500 volunteers.

This year, we will organize and supply more than 40 cleanup locations throughout 100 river and tributary miles – from the headwaters above Lake Lanier, through the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Atlanta, and down to West Point Lake.