A cleaner Tanners Creek is the goal of four organizations that have planned a cleanup day for Saturday, June 9.

The Tanners Creek Steering Committee, Solid Waste Mangagement District, Creek Restoration in Kentucky, and the Water Alliance for Vital Ecosystems will sponsor the cleanup.

Registration will begin at 8:30am (DST, fast time). All volunteers must be registered by 9:10am. The cleanup will last until noon.

All volunteers must meet at the Tanners Creek boat launching ramp behing the Bigg's store off US 50, said Kris Streb, watershed coordinator for the Dearborn County Soil and Water Conservation District

Volunteers will pick up trash and tires along the banks of the creek. Volunteers should wear old clothes and sneakers they do not mind getting dirty.

Leather-palmed gloves, eye protection and trash bags will be supplied by the solid wast management district, which formed the committee.

After they are done, all volunteers will be brought back to the boat landing for a lunch sponsored by Papa John's Pizza, Lawrenceburg.

This is the first year for the cleanup but the committee is hoping to make it an annual event, said Streb.

The watershed is one part of Tanners Creek the committee is trying to keep clean.

It is important to keep the watershed clean because it flows into Tanners Creek, which is used for recreational activities including fishing, said Streb.

"It is also aesthetically pleasing for the community," said Streb, who stressed that pollution bears a burden on aquatic life.

The watershed is about 68,000 acres and is located just north of Ind. 48 to Interstate 74. It extends west to Five Points near Sunman and east to State Line Road, and covers about two-thirds of Dearborn County.

Many factors go into keeping the watershed clean including monitoring and inventories. The committee has 11 people who monitor the water.

They check for nutrients and pH levels near Seagrams distillery, Guilford Park, Salt Fork Creek, Kaiser Drive, Cook Road, Brushy Fork and the West Fork, which is near Bonnell Road, said Streb.

Their ultimate plan is to have a management plan to keep down "nonpoint source pollution," said Streb, adding funds the committee receives are used to educate the community about the watershed and pollution and activities.

Anyone who wants to volunteer for the June 9 cleanup should contact BJ Ault, director of the solid waste management district, at 812-537-8757.

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