Volunteers clear another 200 pounds of garbage from Fox River

Elgin firefighters and area residents continued their quest Saturday to clean a stretch of the Fox River in downtown Elgin, removing some 200 pounds of garbage from its banks.

The Friends of the Fox River and Elgin Firefighters Local 439 hope the cleanup becomes an annual fall event.

Jenni Kempf, program coordinator for Friends of the Fox River, said most of the trash was cans and bottles but did include a box spring mattress.

She said the effort is the first step to ensure the river is preserved for future generations.

"As an environmental measure, removing trash and debris is more about stewardship," said Kempf. "If you care about how an area looks, you'll take other measures to protect it."

Friends of the Fox River has hosted cleanup events in a plethora of Fox River communities this year, including Aurora, Algonquin, Carpentersville, Elgin, Montgomery, Oswego and St. Charles.

For more information, call (815) 356-6605 or visit friendsofthefoxriver.org.

Elgin Fire Department Lt. Robert Bedard estimated the team removed about 200 pounds of trash from both sides of the river, south of the Chicago Street bridge to the National Street overpass.

Saturday's efforts were not as extensive as an effort on Sept. 11, 2008, when fire department divers lugged large pieces of trash from the riverbed.

Bedard said so much was accomplished last year that little was left to clean on the east bank and volunteers this year could focus on the west bank.

"We removed a tremendous amount of garbage from that stretch," he said. "Every year, it gets a little better."