It’s no secret that the Mississippi River is one of the most polluted waterways in the United States.
That’s why the environmental organization Living Lands and Waters out of East Moline, travels close to 9 months a year on a barge, cleaning up rivers, among other things, to help our environment. The barge they travel on has been docked in Downtown Burlington for a good week now and is ready for the Mississippi River Cleanup this Saturday. Bill Pillger helps organize the Burlington Cleanup and says this event wouldn’t be what it is today without Chad Pregracke, who established Living Lands and Waters…
“About 1999, he was clammer. He got to realizing how much trash was on the bottom of the river so he made up his mind to help cleanup the river. He started out with himself. Then he got a couple people to help him. They got Jon Boats full and would take them to the landfill or get rid of them however they could. It just grew from there.”
The barge you see downtown is brand new and has classrooms for educational seminars. If you’re interested in helping cleanup the river in Burlington, meet at the north boat ramp by the Port of Burlington this Saturday. Registration will be from 8:00-8:15am.
