2014 ARPA Summer Synopsis

By Matthew Venable
    This year was a very successful effort in which many exciting things happened.  To start things off the new 23 hp Cooperhead motor and Cottonmouth all-welded boat really played a huge factor in increasing the efficiency of picking up the river. The Cottonmouth boat was built and designed specifically for the Amite River by Central resident Cory Crochet.   Several times this year we had over 15 bags of trash in the boat at one time at 21 mph compared to last year only being able to fit 10 or 11 and could achieve 15-16 mph.   And to really put things into perspective when we started ARPA the boat and motor could only carry 5 to 6 bags of trash at one time and at 10-12 mph, that’s an increase of efficiency of over 300%. We also extended our range to below the Magnolia Bridge several days. Needless to say we were able to pick up more trash in less time (we’re getting pretty good at this stuff).  We removed over 4300 gallons of litter this year.
    One of our biggest challenges this summer was the up and down water situations on the Amite river. Normal level for the Amite river at Magnolia is about 26 feet. When the river gauge at Magnolia is above 30 feet it becomes difficult to navigate the swift current and debris, such as tree limbs, logs and sand bars that change daily. We check this before we make a run, and on the USGS Amite river gauge at Magnolia there were many days that access to the river was limited.  
    After the high water events bottles, cans, and other litter would be moved higher on the beaches and in the woods. The litter would be partially buried and filled with sediment from the high water making the entire task much more difficult. 
    Another exciting event was the help given to us from a pair of St. Alphonsus beta members who came out and helped pick up several beaches (Maddie Toler-Elizabeth Pennington).  And to top off everything our 501c3 number was finally processed and we’re all super excited about it.  Overall we had a very successful season of making our much beloved river a more beautiful place and enjoyed being a part of its history.
Pictured: Maddie Toler and Elizabeth Pennington taking a break by the new boat.