The 2017 River Cleanup Project takes place July 15 and begins at Pepper Branch Park.
McMinnville officials have discussed the city’s participation. In years past, city employees picked up trash removed from the river and placed at collection sites.
“We received a request again this year for the city to participate in the Rotary River Cleanup with trash disposal and staging for the collected tires to the transfer station,” said McMinnville Public Works assistant director Brad Hennessee. “Last year, there were 12 collection sites. This year’s cleanup has 20 collection sites planned.”
The 2016 effort cleaned 40 miles of river in Warren County.
“The reason for the additional drop-off points is because we are getting people going down the river with our barges, as we call them, to put stuff on and after the first quarter mile, they are full,” said Alderman Everett Brock.
 Brock continued, “Then, they can’t pick up anything else for the rest of the float on their stretch of water. They are trying to get more points to bring stuff out so they don’t have to leave stuff in the water that they see because their barge is full. We need more drop-off points.”
After nine years of annual cleanup efforts, volunteers have removed over 50 tons of trash, hundreds of tires, and have grown the effort from less than 50 volunteers on a 3-mile portion of the river to more than 400 volunteers on 65 miles of river.
“Do you have the resources?” asked Alderman Mike Neal.
Hennessee said, “Last year, we spent $662 in trash disposal and employee labor.”
“How much would you estimate this year,” said Neal.
Hennessee said, “It’s almost impossible to estimate that. Just going by the math, it wouldn’t be dou-ble. It was 12 and now it’s 20. Trash disposal was only like $50 last year. Labor is the overwhelming cost.”
Officials unanimously approved the city’s participation in the cleanup effort.