Volunteers sought for Yough River tire cleanup

It was clear to Tom Yoder last week that the work of 65 volunteers on canoes in 2019 to remove 300 tires from the Youghiogheny River had a positive impact.

A recent trip on the river showed him the waterway was back to its natural state in some spots.

“It was obvious that we made a difference,” he said.

But there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Westmoreland Cleanways and the Rotary Club of Belle Vernon are teaming up with Youghiogheny Canoe Outfitters on Oct. 25 to clean up tires that apparently were dumped in the water. Organizers hope to build on the success of last year’s event on a 4-mile stretch between Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver and West Newton.

Yoder, president of the Rotary, lives near the park and said there are hundreds more tires still waiting to be pulled out.

“There are over 200 that I can see just in a half-mile stretch,” he said. “It’s unfortunate they’re in there, but it’s bothered me for years.”

The float will start at 9 a.m. Canoes will be provided for volunteers who don’t have one.

Before 2019, it had been six years since Westmoreland Cleanways checked out that part of the river for tires after four successful cleanups from 2010 through 2013. During those years, the organization recycled about 1,000 tires that had been in the water.

The water depth will be pretty low for this month’s event, which will make it easier to pick up tires in the center of the river, said Ellen Keefe, director of Westmoreland Cleanways.

“It might not be good for canoes, but they’re good for pulling tires,” she said.

Last year, tires were hung up on riverbanks or fallen trees. Volunteers stacked them in canoes and dumped them into a bin for recycling. Tires can leech chemicals and road oil into the water. Yoder said his group will be joined by rotary members in the West Newton club.

Registration is due by Oct. 19. Volunteers will be transported from the outfitters to the launch site. To register, call Youghiogheny Canoe Outfitters at 724-872-7585 or Yoder at 724-984-1794. A volunteer waiver form must be filled out and more details are available on the event’s Facebook page.

Tires can be recycled at several locations in Westmoreland County, according to the organization’s recycling guide. They are accepted for a fee at Westmoreland Cleanways Recycling Center, 335 Pleasant Unity-Mutual Road, Unity, and at several auto centers and municipal buildings in the area. Westmoreland Cleanways charges $3 for a passenger tire that is not on a rim. Fees range from $15 to $80 for tires used on tractor-trailers and for agricultural or heavy machinery purposes.