Kathy Stewart, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – The Potomac River got a little spring cleaning this weekend.

On Saturday, thousands of volunteers in D.C., Maryland and Virginia grabbed work gloves and trash bags while others hopped in a kayak or a canoe for the 24th annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup.

Along the Occoquan River, volunteers picked up trash littered on riverbanks and in the river itself.

Zoe Vitter with Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition asked volunteers as they signed in if they preferred a kayak or canoe. She was at the Occoquan Regional Park in Fairfax, one of 14 different launch sites along the river.

She says they were covering all 26 miles of the Occoquan River from where it begins down to the mouth of the Potomac. Last year, they pulled 12,000 pounds of trash from the river.

“There are lots of little coves and inlets all along the river where trash collects, but no one ever sees because it’s not in a public space,” she says.

Christine Vineski from Alexandria and her friend hopped into a tandem kayak.

“Oh we got a Budweiser can and a plastic bag,” she says. “There’s definitely stuff stuck along the trees.”

This was the third year for the annual Occoquan Cleanup.

The annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup is organized by the nonprofit Alice Ferguson Foundation. It reports that since 1989, more than 3 million tons of trash has been pulled from the Potomac watershed.

That number does not include this year’s event.

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