On April 11, Harrisonburg is rolling up its sleeves. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the City’s Public Works Department will lead Blacks Run Clean Up Day, rallying volunteers to protect Blacks Run.
“This is the 28th annual event, which started back in 1998 by members of the community who were interested in cleaning up Blacks Run,” Austin Shenk, an Environmental Specialist for the City of Harrisonburg, said. “Blacks Run has had a very long history of pollution.”
In 2005, the City of Harrisonburg took control of the Blacks Run Clean Up Day and has run the event ever since with the help of volunteers.
“We [Harrisonburg] are regulated to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay,” Shenk said. “We’re trying to prevent trash from entering our waterways, and by doing this clean-up we are removing trash and litter. This helps to prevent extra nutrients and sediments from going into the waterways and really helps with aquatic stream life.”
After meeting at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, volunteers will be dispersed across the different sections of Blacks Run with trash bags and gloves to collect any human-generated trash they come across.
Shenk himself volunteered at Blacks Run Clean Up Day in the mid 2000s as a student at EMU.
“I signed up with a group of friends, and we came to help clean up the stream,” Shenk said. “That’s when I got my first glance of how our local community needs some help, and there’s always room for improvement.”
Shenk said anyone can volunteer, and they have had volunteers from various Girl Scout Troops, companies, businesses, and passionate college students. Registration can be done online or in person at the event.
“Blacks Run really needs continued effort on an annual basis to help keep the waterways safe,” Shenk said. “We remove around an average of 6 thousand pounds of trash a year from Blacks Run.”
On average, the Blacks Run Clean Up Day hosts 400 volunteers.
“It’s quite amazing how much trash people pull out of the stream,” Shenk said. “Last year, we had 550 volunteers, and we removed around 7 thousand pounds of trash.”
Shenk said the community is a driving force behind the clean-up effort.
“The community does a great job to help keep this event going,” Shenk said. “In addition to Blacks Run Clean Up Day, we do small clean up groups throughout the year to help keep the sections of the streams clear.”
Shenk said some of the items removed from the stream include sports balls, tires, and a plethora of human-based litter, highlighting the importance of proper trash disposal.
“I’d definitely say the clean-up days have had a very positive effect,” Shenk said.
Shenk said he has noted a return of wildlife to the stream, which is proof of the community’s efforts. However, Blacks Run hasn’t always had such a great track record.
During his research, Shenk said he stumbled across quotes from community and council members from the 70s describing Blacks Run as “an open sewer” and “dumping grounds for trash.”
“It [Blacks Run] was not well treated,” Shenk said. “We have been trying to really clean it up.”
Shenk said the water quality remains a concern due to high levels of E. coli, but efforts such as the Blacks Run Clean Up Day help make a huge difference in the health of the ecosystem.
“Our primary mission is to keep Blacks Run from falling back into its previous past of pollution,” Shenk said. “It’s a really nice way to get the community together and give them a common goal. It gives us all some ownership of Blacks Run since it is a shared resource, and it’s nice to see everyone giving back to protect our natural resources.”