Getting Involved in Protecting the River

There are many ways in getting involved with conservation of the Ohio River. On a small scale, a great way to protect the river is to avoid littering as most litter ends up in waterways due to rain which can lead to the trash getting to the Ohio River. Another easy way to help preserve the river is to simply live with the local ecosystem in mind. This can include anything from reducing the amount of waste you produce to using less energy in your daily life. Small changes like these can help preserve the Ohio River ecosystem for generations to come.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are plenty of opportunities for people to get more involved in helping preserve and restore the Ohio River. One such opportunity is the Ohio River Sweep conducted yearly by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission. River Sweep is a cleanup event that takes place in the six states that border the Ohio River aimed to remove litter from the banks of the Ohio River and its tributaries. This event boasts to have collected over 230 tons of trash throughout its 130 cleanup sites

This is just one of many volunteer events whose purpose is to protect the river. The turnout of events like these shows that people are interested in the conservation of the river, which is one of the biggest hurdles that must be overcome to begin implementing meaningful change. The only way to prevent future pollution of the Ohio River is to create changes on both a legislative and societal level. If people don't actively want to protect the river then nothing will ever happen to make it better.