Armed with garbage bags and drenched in bug spray, a small group of volunteers worked their way down Crystal Creek, fetching out-among other things-bottles, cans, clothing, furniture, a car’s transmission and 25 tennis balls.
“People don’t realize what they’re doing when they dump their garbage in here,” said Nancy Williamson as she helped carry a car hood out of the creek on the south side of Crystal Lake. “There are a lot of living things in this water. This is their home.”
Williamson, a member of Friends of the Fox River, helped organize the Fox River Rescue cleanup. The effort, one of a number around the state last weekend, took place Saturday along the Fox and its tributaries as part of Illinois Rivers Month.
Friends of the Fox worked at four area cleanup sites in Crystal Lake, Fox River Grove, Carpentersville and South Elgin.
They were assisted by the city and park district of Crystal Lake, Kane County Forest Preserve, Fox Path, Openlands Project and Chevrolet-Geo Environmental. Local business sponsors included Crystal Lake Disposal and Wal-Mart, True-Value Hardware, Handy Andy and Edward Hines Lumber, all of Crystal Lake.
“There is a delicate balance of life in the river and these creeks that is vital to the community, and the younger people in the area need to know about it,” said Williamson, a resident of Crystal Lake.
“When we damage the river, the bugs are the first to go, and whether we want to think so or not, they’re an important part of life.”
After pulling a bedpost and garbage can lid out of the creek, which flows into the Fox River in Algonquin, volunteer Jenny Oliver agreed.
“Future generations are going to have to deal with this, unless we help clean it up now,” said Oliver, a 15-year-old junior at Crystal Lake Central High School. “If people saw what kind of garbage was in here, they might be more careful.”
In addition to damage from those who use the local creek as their trash bin, Williamson said many people unknowingly pollute the water by dumping old paint and used motor oil into local street sewers.
“Those sewers are there for flood control,” Williamson said. “There’s no filtration. That water goes right to the river.”
Algonquin resident Dr. Jane Richards, who runs a chiropractic office steps away from the creek, said she heard about efforts to clean up the water and decided to participate and help sponsor the clean-up.
“I drive by it every day and see the junk lying in the water,” Richards said. “When you see the waterfowl the creek supports, you can’t help but get involved.”
Meanwhile, at Lions Park along the Fox River in Fox River Grove, volunteers hauled out more than 300 pounds of garbage in less than three hours.
Mary Lu Seidel, a school teacher in Palatine, was there with Jim, her 3-year-old son. “I want to teach my little boy to take care of his community,” Seidel said. “I want him to realize how important this is.”
Despite all the garbage fished out by volunteers, Kathe Lacey,a Fox River Grove resident and president of Friends of the Fox, said the river has improved a great deal since she began participating in the cleanups two years ago.
“There are a lot more people aware of the problems,” Lacey said, adding that Saturday’s turnout was lower than usual because of various graduations in the area. “When you come to the river with your family and see garbage floating along, it makes you want to do something.”
In addition to their annual cleanup, Friends of the Fox helps organize river-testing outings throughout the year with the help of local students.
Lacey said community groups often choose a river site to monitor.
By checking the water at their selected location a few times a year, groups can tell when the river needs to be cleaned by examining the “benthic macro invertebrates,” some of the water’s smallest inhabitants that live on the bottom of the river.
Official agencies also are lending their support. Last month, the Fox Waterway Agency clamped down on polluters by giving local police greater authority to arrest and fine those who litter anywhere on the Chain o’ Lakes system.
While Lacey sees penalties for litterbugs as a step in the right direction, she said the ultimate effort to keep the rivers clean will come from those who live on its shores.
“We want the local residents to steward the water,” Lacey said. “People need to see the advantages of a clean river running through their community.”
