Pea Ohana Watersports to Host Annual Muskingum River Cleanup Day

ZANESVILLE, OH – A local business is inviting the community out to help clean up the Muskingum River for the summertime.

Pea Ohana Watersports is hosting their third annual river clean up day on Saturday, May 18th starting at 8:30 AM.

The river clean up day is a collaborative effort put on by the River Rangers International, the ODNR, American Rivers, the City of Zanesville, Discover Diving & Paintball, and the Muskingum Riverway Advocacy Council

Bear Davis, the Owner and Operator of Pea Ohana Watersports, said when they first started the river clean up, they noticed how much trash had made its way into the river and they wanted to change that.

“We needed to start it with us,” Davis said. “And just get people excited about this unique riverway that we have. I mean it’s incredible and I think just getting people out there to see that they can make a difference and starting with us. We’re the ones who want to be good stewards of the river.”

Davis says there will be two groups you can volunteer for during the river clean up, a land option and a river option. He says the land volunteers will be cleaning up Putnam Landing Park, Confluence Park, and also the lock. The water volunteers will be cleaning up from Dillon Falls through Putnam Landing.

Davis says he hopes those who participate in the clean up day walk away with more appreciation for the river.

“When we first opened, on our social media, all we heard was ‘Oh that terrible river.’ this and that and everything else,” Davis said. “I just don’t think people realize that all mud based waterways look murky. They could be completely clean. It’s just when you have a rock base, the sun reflects off of it and you can see the bottom. And that’s not just our river.”

If you are interested in signing up for the clean up day you can head to Pea Ohana Watersports’ website.