Once a year, nearly 3,000 miles of the Ohio River are patrolled by volunteers for the Annual Ohio River Sweep event.  Each year thousands of volunteers gather near their local tributary or the banks of the Ohio River and pick up the trash that has accumulated during the high water levels of winter. 

From the headwaters of the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, PA, to Cairo, IL, volunteers in 2015 covered 86 counties in 6 states along the Ohio River; Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.

The Annual Ohio River Sweep began in 1989 and since then volunteers have contributed to the management of the health of the river by removing tons of trash and debris along the shores of 7 tributaries and the Ohio River. The WAVE Foundation at the Newport Aquarium started getting involved in this annual cleanup in 2000. 

Join Newport Aquarium and the WAVE Foundation at the Newport Aquarium on June 18^th. Team up with the many volunteers in this community effort to cleanup the banks of the Ohio River in front of Newport Aquarium. For more information on being part of this year’s cleanup, visit OhioRiverSweep.org.  and creating a great place for our families to enjoy the river.