Chatham Township Environmental Commission sponsored its eighth annual riverside cleanup on Saturday along the Passaic River near the Passaic Street Bridge 
between Chatham Township and New Providence. Volunteers also cleaned the Wuhala Woods area and help improved a trail at Kelley Pond during the day.

Junior Girl Scout Troop 944—made up of fifth graders at Lafayette School—hosted the annual cleanup project along with the environmental commission. They provided free refreshments and a pizza raffle. There were also several members from Cub Scout Pack 24 volunteering in the river cleanup.

The groups of volunteers covered a 0.7 mile long stretch of riverbank. The Chatham Township riverside property is habitat for birds and wildflowers, and home to dozens of native and non-native plants, shrubs and trees that are interesting to look at. The annual cleanup maintains a pleasant area for nature study along the river.

If you live in Chatham Township, your drinking water comes from the Passaic River. Ten sewage treatment plants discharge their effluent into the river between the headwaters and the Canoe Brook pumping station near the Short Hills Mall. The water is taken from that area, treated and pumped back to the cleanup site. The pipes could be seen discharging the treated sewage from the New Providence Treatment Plant.

The Chatham Shop-Rite provided cotton work gloves and plastic trash bags, the New Providence Department of Public Works provided the parking area next to the river and the Chatham Disposal Company took the trash collected by the volunteers.

Environmental Commission members Steve Carroll and Chairwoman Dot Stillinger were at the site answering questions and providing information on the plants, trees, shrubs, and wildflowers along the riverside.

Local Boy Scouts from Troop 8 helped organize the volunteer effort at Wuhala Woods. They also assisted in the clearing of light brush and removal of trash at the area, which is along Princeton Street.

Chatham Borough Environmental Commission Chair John Tacredi and Commission Member Dick Ligertwood kept the boys on track and motivated while helping with the effort.

In addition, volunteers assisted the Environmental Commission in restoring the trail leading from Jackson Avenue to Kelley's Pond. 

Dressed with gloves, long pants, long sleeve shirts, and boots, the volunteers worked together to remove items such as car parts, broken chairs, empty cans and various metal scraps from the woods.