2015 Saco River Trash Drive

Saco River Salmon Club & Hatchery
P.O. Box 115 • Saco, Maine 04072
Dedicated To Atlantic Salmon Restoration
2015 Saco River Trash Drive
Greetings all,
On behalf of everyone at the Saco River Salmon Club & Hatchery, I’d like to express our deep appreciation
for all of the hard work all volunteers put into the first Lower Saco River Trash Drive. Our combined efforts
this past Saturday (7/25/2015) resulted in the collection of approximately three tons of trash and debris removed
from the three mile stretch of river we targeted. As we mentioned at yesterday’s event, 35 Maine communities
draw their water supply from the Saco River - including Biddeford and Saco. Your contributions were invaluable,
and we want to remind each and every one of you of the important effects your work is now having on the
health of the Saco River, and all life in and along it. We’d like to acknowledge all of the following for their generous
participation and hard work:
Local Boy Scout Troops 308 & 310
Local Girl Scout Troop 574 & Jrs Troop
Biddeford Fire & Rescue Department
Saco Fire & Rescue Department
Maine Warden Service
Maine Forest Service
Saco River Corridor Commission
CPM Constructors
Brookfield Renewable Energy
Trout Unlimited Sebago Chapter
Community Resident Volunteers
Biddeford Public Works Department
Saco River Salmon Club & Hatchery - Officers, Directors, Members & Volunteers
We would also like to extend thanks to all sponsors who provided resources for the Trash Drive — they include:
Nappi Distributors (Portland)
Dupuis Hardware (Biddeford)
Deering Lumber (Biddeford)
Builders Supply (Biddeford)
Home Depot (Biddeford)
Saco River Salmon Club & Hatchery
Hannaford (Saco)
Shaws (Saco)
Market Basket (Biddeford)
Gloves, Etc. (Biddeford)
Brookfield Renewable Energy
We also would like to thank the following property owners for generously allowing river access through their
properties.
Christian Gordon
Brookfield Energy
The Little House Of Prayer
(Continued on next page)
Below is a partial list of items that were collected:
1 Car Battery (minus the acid)
2 Truck Tires
25 Auto Tires
2 Auto Rims
2 Motorcycle Tires
1 Lawnmower Tire
11 Bicycle Frames
4 Bicycle Tires
2 Bicycle Rims
2 Bicycle Handlebars
5 Bicycle Sprockets
1 Bicycle Seat
1 Gas Tank
1 Transmission Housing
1 Coil Spring
1 Auto Muffler
3 Bags of Misc Plastic Sheeting
1 Blanket
3 Steel Cables
2 Bags of Ceramic Shards
3 Bags of Broken Glass
Cinder Blocks
(1) Aluminum Oar
1 Kid’s Pool
1 Toilet
1 Gas Grill Frame
1 Propane Tank
1 Office Chair
1 Pickup Truck Seat
1 Loveseat Sofa
1 Shovel
1 Woman’s wallet & purse
1 Window Screen
1 Floor Mop
1 5 gal bucket
7 Lumber Tarps
1 Push Mower
3 Pieces Pipe Insulation
2 Carpets
19 Bags Misc Trash
1 Dumbell Weight
3 Assorted Ropes w/ Floats
1 Preloaded Bag Beer Cans
Various Shoes
Hubcap
Beer cans & Bottles
1 Concrete Lawn Ornament
5 Shopping Carts
2 PVC Lawn Chairs
1 Play Pen
2 Bed Frames
1 Headboard
1 Road Sign
1 Valvoline Oil Sign
2 Road Sign Posts
2 Road Marker Cones
2 Steel Pipes
1 Folding Lawn Chair
1 Cast Iron Drain Pipe
1 PVC Drain Pipe
1 Concrete Pipe
1 Plastic Pipe
24 Metal Panels
Metal Banding
Metal Rods
1 Plastic Panel
12 Pieces Assorted Lumber
4 Steel Discs
Et Cetera
In lieu of the financial donation made to the event, we will be dividing it equally and donating it to the scout
groups. We are planning to repeat this event next year. Plans are already underway to link our efforts with
other organizations and groups who are seeking to improve ecological conditions in our area. We are considering
making 2016’s Trash Drive a weekend-long event, and extending our focus to additional reaches of the Saco
River, its tributaries as well as local beaches. We hope to see you at next year’s event. We’ve included some
photos on the following pages. Again, sincerest thanks and best regards!
Rick LaRiviere
Rick LaRiviere
President
Saco River Salmon Club & Hatchery
PO Box 115
Saco, ME 04072
(603) 915-0651
[email protected]
Some photos from the event...
Hard working Girl Scouts from the Banks Teams
Hard paddling, hard-working Boy Scouts
Boy Scout Troop 310 making their float plan
Signing in and discussing areas to be cleaned
Preparing the Sea Nymph...
C’mon Dad, paddle faster!...
“The Flotilla” setting out for parts unknown...
The first “barge” arrives from SRSC&H
And another load from the Saco River Corridor Commission...
And another from the Maine Forest Service...
Brookfield Energy brought a load from the upper reach.
The Maine Warden Service also got into the action...
Meanwhile, the scouts’ adventure was getting under way.
Community resident volunteers lending a hand.
Scouts combing the riverbanks.
Vigilant personnel from Biddeford and Saco’s Fire & Rescue
Another barge-load arriving at Rotary Park
The one that got away...
Boats got dirty...
Dirty... but notice the smiles and smirks
Volunteers got dirtier...
Even GI Joe got into the spirit of the event!
Don’t know what to say about this one...
Only a portion of the trash found in 3 miles of river

Two teams cleaned along the riverbanks below Rotary Park and down to Route 1. The large amount of
trash from that area was deposited into dumpsters, was not tallied and is not shown in the photos above.

Given the time of year and due to summer vacations, etc. there were some last minute cancellations and
“no-shows”. As a result we decided to abandon the upper reach (Skelton Dam to Swan Pond Brook) cleaning.
Due to the large volume of trash encountered, two stretches in the lower reach also were not cleaned.

Personnel from the construction company that is replacing the Pine Street bridge in Biddeford informed us
that divers reported a large amount of debris on the river bottom under the bridge. We are hoping to be
able to enlist the help of divers in next year’s Trash Drive to retrieve that debris, as well as to check and
clean the river bed under the Route 5 and I-95 bridges.
It was a lot of fun, we hope to see you all again next summer!