Department of Environmental Engineering

Pocoshock Cleanup a Success

The Environmental Engineering Water Quality Team and Friends of Chesterfield’s Riverfront hosted a community cleanup of Pocoshock Creek on Oct.16, 2004. Fourteen volunteers woke up early on Saturday morning for the cleanup and were pleased to find donated Starbucks coffee and Einstein Brothers bagels as they registered for the event.

The volunteers worked hard to remove 76 bags of trash, along with tires, a car door and several shopping carts. This amounted to 1,740 pounds of trash!

The Waste and Resource Recovery Division, a segment of the Chesterfield County Department of General Services, provided collection crewmembers and a truck at the event. Everyone’s hard work was rewarded with a donated lunch from Penn Station Subs.

Most of the trash found in the area was food and beverage containers. Pam Cooper of the Waste and Resource Recovery Division will utilize this information to educate the community about littering. In an effort to prevent future littering, a sign also will be posted at this site reminding citizens that it is illegal to dump trash.

Not only will Pocoshock Creek be cleaned of trash in the next year, but it also will receive a facelift. The Water Quality Team has identified the creek as being in poor health, and a restoration project is under way. The high rate of water flow is eroding banks, causing trees and land to fall into the creek. The restoration project will repair this and other damage.

The Water Quality Team also is developing watershed management strategies for areas draining to Pocoshock Creek in order to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the stream. The cleanup, stream restoration and watershed management strategies are part of a comprehensive program, named the Pocoshock Creek Community Partnership, to improve the creek’s physical, chemical and biological integrity. If you are interested in becoming involved with the Pocoshock Creek Community Partnership, or any waterway in Chesterfield County, please email the Water Quality Educational Outreach Coordinator or telephone at 748-1920. We have many volunteer opportunities waitng for you!