Friends of Pool 9 River Clean-Up delayed and limited by spring flooding but still yields strong results during first weekend in June
Another large load from long-time clean-up volunteers ... The backwater search team of Carlson and Henkel show their bounty after a morning of boating on the lower part of Pool 9 below Lansing during the June 3 Friends of Pool 9 Mississippi River Clean-Up. Left to right are Wyatt Henkel, Tom Limbach, Bruce Carlson and Bob Henkel. These two pictured seated in the boat have been clean-up buddies for over 10 years and always come in with a good load. Photo courtesy of Ric Zarwell.
Manpower and horsepower ... The lone dumpster for the entire Friends of Pool 9 2023 River Clean-Up that took place June 3 was located on the shoreline between the Lansing VFW building and the Bob Henkel property at 120 South Front Street. Volunteers load the bucket of the tractor provided by Jim Kerndt with debris. Left to right in the above photo are Caleb Verdon, Tom Limbach, Ben Verdon, Tyler Verdon and Alex Galema. Photo courtesy of driftlessmode, Bob Modersohn.
The day was a warm 85 degrees, the collection dumpster was in place, the water gauge at Lansing read 9.2 feet and a small but determined group of volunteers boated into the Mississippi River backwaters in search of any un-natural debris. Recent high flood water (Lansing gauge topped out at 19.6 feet) in late April kept the river well above normal until early June and delayed the original Friends of Pool 9 River Clean-Up date planned for April 22.
While many enjoyed the first weekend in June in other ways, approximately 30 volunteers loaded boats and searched backwater sloughs and islands for debris. The most common item was the “ever-present” blue or white plastic flotation barrel, probably relocated from areas to the north. The exceptionally high water may have dispersed the usual trash in Pool 9 to other areas downstream as well.
Some of the group actually began collecting debris and cleaning area beaches earlier. Volunteers began resetting some of the 23 fire-rings in Pool 9 and spraying beaches for poison ivy in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The fire-rings were originally constructed and located on Pool 9 area beaches by the Board of Directors of Friends of Pool 9 years ago (with USFWS approval) for the use of river campers. Having fire-rings anchored in the sand with re-rod and cement keeps the beach bonfires in a designated site, and makes clean-up at the beach much easier.
High water tends to erode the down-slope portion of the fire-ring, causing it to tilt toward the river, and impacts its usefulness to campers and beach users.
Total weights reported by Allamakee County Waste Management Director Dave Mooney included an abundance of plastic barrels and old dock pieces. Mooney reported a 2023 total weight of 2.5 tons of debris in the Town and Country Sanitation dumpster. Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) would like to offer special thanks to Town and Country Sanitation Administrator Doug Enke for making a commitment to the river environment and for providing the dumpster for this year’s delayed clean-up effort.
Adding this weight to earlier totals from previous years means Friends of Pool 9 volunteers have collected and removed more than 173,800 pounds (86.9 tons) of debris from the river and recorded 10,080 hours of volunteer time to keep Pool 9 clean over the years. Friends of Pool 9 thanks everyone who has helped over the years on this project.
Founding Father and longtime FOP9 Board Director Bob Henkel stated, “There really wasn’t a lot of debris out there, probably partly due to the record high water levels this spring, but also because I think we’re making a difference cleaning it every year. The river isn’t as filled with debris as it was years ago. And that’s all good.”
“FOP9 thanks everyone that gave of their time and energy to once again make Pool 9 one of the best on the Upper Mississippi River, maybe more can join the effort next year,” Friends of Pool 9 River Clean-Up organizers said. “In the meantime, get out on the river this summer and enjoy our beautiful river and beaches. Enjoy spending an afternoon swimming in the Mississippi River on a beach, or viewing the splendor of over two hundred American Bald Eagle nests in Pool 9 (many along the main channel), or trying your luck at some of the best game fishing in the backwater sloughs and lakes of anywhere in the U.S. This part of the river called Pool 9, technically named the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, is literally at our doorstep, get out and enjoy it.”
