On a rainy Saturday morning, nearly 200 volunteers gathered in 10 locations in Cecil and Harford counties and removed 3.5 tons of trash and debris during Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway’s 25^th annual River Sweep on April 26.
 
This yearly volunteer shoreline cleanup was held in celebration of Earth Day in Havre de Grace, Conowingo, Perryville, Port Deposit and on Garrett Island. Since its founding in 2000, River Sweep volunteers have collected more than 134 tons of trash and debris from area shorelines and roadways.
 
Notable items found and removed during River Sweep included a flat screen TV, deflated rubber kayak, car wheel, 50-gallon plastic drum, 150-pound dock buoy, food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic and glass bottles and cans, and fishing-related litter (monofilament line, lures, bait containers).
 
Among the participating groups removing trash and debris were Girl Scout Troop 967, Constellation, Amtrak, CAT Club of Havre de Grace (Citizens Against Trash), Perryville Green Team, Conowingo Elementary Green Team, Conowingo Elementary Environmental Club, Hollywood Casino, Great Wolf Lodge, Havre de Grace Green Team, Havre de Grace High School Green Team and Harbor of Grace Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.
 
Also among the River Sweep volunteers were Perryville Mayor Michelle Linkey, Perryville Commissioners Bob Taylor and Julie Jeric and Port Deposit Retired Mayor and Councilman Bob Kuhs.
 
“Our River Sweep volunteers are the best. Despite weather challenges, almost 200 community members helped us remove 3.5 tons of trash from our shoreline and roadways,” said Brigitte Carty, executive director of Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway. “We are so grateful to everyone for their support as we celebrated the 25^th anniversary of River Sweep.”
 
Sponsors and community partners of the 2025 River Sweep include Constellation, Chick-fil-A Constant Friendship and Aberdeen, Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Cecil County, Harford County, Havre de Grace, Perryville, Port Deposit and Susquehanna State Park.
 
In addition, partial financial assistance has been provided for this project through the Cecil County VLT Local Community Grant Program, sponsored by the Cecil County Executive. This project also has been financed in part with state funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.
 
The 26^th River Sweep will be held Saturday, April 25, 2026.
 
Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway is a nonprofit, certified Maryland Heritage Area located in Harford and Cecil counties along the Lower Susquehanna River and Upper Bay. Its mission is to encourage regional economic development through heritage tourism primarily by supporting public recreation efforts, particularly trail development and public water access, historic preservation, cultural interpretation and conservation efforts. For more information about Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, visit www.UpperBayTrails.com.