press room

AWO Teams with U.S. Coast Guard, EPA for
"Capital River Relief" Cleanup

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Waterways Operators (AWO) recently teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to participate in the third annual "Capital River Relief" cleanup of the Anacostia River in Washington. AWO members participated in the cleanup in conjunction with the AWO Spring Convention. The cleanup was organized by Chad Pregracke, founder of Living Lands & Waters, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Anacostia River Initiative, and Koch Industries, Inc. AWO is a sponsor of the event, along with AWO members McDonough Marine and Moran Towing Corporation. McDonough Marine donated a barge on which the tons of trash collected during the two month cleanup are deposited, and Moran Towing Corporation donated a tugboat and crew to bring the barge to Washington from Norfolk and return it there after the cleanup is complete. Over the past two years, the effort has yielded approximately 100 tons of trash collected from the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

The "Capital River Relief" project brings together a diverse coalition of environmental groups, corporations, associations, Capitol Hill and Executive Branch policymakers, local government, school groups and celebrities, all with the shared goal of cleaning the rivers surrounding the nation's capital. AWO has participated in the cleanup each year since its inception.

"AWO members have a deep respect for the waterways on which they operate. That is one reason why AWO members developed the AWO Responsible Carrier Program, a safety and environmental protection code of 'best practices' that guide AWO members' operations. The 'Capital River Relief' project is another tangible way for our members to demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection and restoration," said AWO Vice President - Public Affairs Anne Burns. "After just a few hours of working, the AWO members and staff who participated in the cleanup could see the progress we had made and felt genuine pride in what we had accomplished."

Living Lands & Waters is a nonprofit organization based in the Midwest, and dedicated to cleaning America's waterways. In the past eight years, Living Lands & Waters has collected over 900 tons of trash from America's rivers, including the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. Several AWO members are long-time supporters of the Living Lands & Waters organization.

###