COQUITLAM - More than 200 people went in, and more than 500 bags came out.
Sunday's Coquitlam River cleanup attracted 246 volunteers, representing the highest number in the 10 years the initiative has taken place.
Organized by Riverside Fly & Tackle owner Garry Elgear, the cleanup saw everything from toilets and beds to syringes and grow-op remnants removed from the local waterway. More than 500 bags of garbage were filled in five hours.
"It worked out really well," Elgear said. "We got lots of stuff and we got it all done in the time allotted, so everybody was able to make it home for the Super Bowl. The day exceeded our expectations."
Volunteers combed through a roughly 15-kilometre stretch of land during the five-hour effort, covering an area from the Red Bridge on Pitt River Road up to the northern reaches of the Coquitlam River watershed.
"A lot of people using the river saw what we're doing, and they were so happy," Elgear said. "I can't even count how many people thanked us for what we were doing."
The Coquitlam River is home to all five salmon species native to B.C. waters, including spring, coho, chum, pink and sockeye.
A second river cleanup is tentatively slated to take place in late August or early September.
© Copyright (c) Coquitlam Now
