Allegheny River shore cleanings set for Harrison, Tarentum

Cleanups of the Allegheny River shoreline in Harrison and Tarentum are scheduled for this weekend.

Allegheny CleanWays, a nonprofit environmental group fighting illegal dumping in Allegheny County, scheduled cleanups in Harrison on Saturday and in Tarentum on Sunday. Morning sessions will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and afternoon sessions will be from 3 to 6 p.m. both days.

As of Thursday, the cleanups for this weekend are on despite this week’s heavy rain that caused flooding and pushed the river level up.

“We’re going to play it by ear,” said Hannah Samuels, volunteer and outreach coordinator. “For now, we’re going to be really optimistic and hope it comes together.”

In Harrison, volunteers will be working from the Natrona kayak launch at River Road and Linden Street. In Tarentum, they’ll work from the Tarentum public boat ramp under the Tarentum Bridge.

The morning Tarentum session is full, but more help is needed in the afternoon, Samuels said.

Volunteers will work from land and a pontoon boat to remove trash from along the waterfront. Volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes or boots and long pants. Long-sleeve shirts are recommended.

Refreshments, work gloves, safety glasses and tools will be provided. Volunteers should bring reusable water bottles.

Those interested in volunteering can register at Allegheny CleanWays’ website, alleghenycleanways.org, or by emailing Samuels at hannah@ alleghenycleanways.org.