By BRIAN FERRY bferry@timesobserver.com Even if they were never held again, the Allegheny River and Reservoir clean-ups will benefit Warren County’s future. But, there is no interest in shutting down 15 years of successful efforts. So, the organizers have to look to the future of the event — not just the county. Volunteers do the work, but there are some costs. To help defray those costs, the clean-ups recycle metal. The effort makes money on the metal collected from in and around the waterways, but also from donations of scrap metal. There is a dumpster in the parking lot of Valu Home Center and Advance Auto Parts on Market Street in North Warren where folks may drop off their metal. “We accept donations every year at this same time with the proceeds going to support the annual river and reservoir clean-ups,” one of the organizers, Nate Welker, said. “Funds are spent on things like fuel and other supplies needed throughout the event.” The pre-clean-up event held Thursday, Aug. 29, filled up about half of the dumpster and private donations are responsible for the rest. That pre-clean-up involved 16 people cleaning up an old farm dump on state game lands on Thursday, and three on Saturday to move about 12 cubic yards of “heavy, mixed metal” from Bootjack Farm, where volunteers piled the stuff, to the dumpster. Among that mixed metal was a 1950s Chevy truck. The pre-clean-up was a success, Welker said. “Results were awesome,” he said. “You can’t tell that the dump was ever even there.” The Conewango Creek Clean-up on Saturday kicks off the five days of the annual Allegheny River Clean-up. The reservoir clean-up is held in the spring.

Even if they were never held again, the Allegheny River and Reservoir clean-ups will benefit Warren County’s future.

But, there is no interest in shutting down 15 years of successful efforts.

So, the organizers have to look to the future of the event — not just the county.

Volunteers do the work, but there are some costs.

To help defray those costs, the clean-ups recycle metal. The effort makes money on the metal collected from in and around the waterways, but also from donations of scrap metal.

There is a dumpster in the parking lot of Valu Home Center and Advance Auto Parts on Market Street in North Warren where folks may drop off their metal.

“We accept donations every year at this same time with the proceeds going to support the annual river and reservoir clean-ups,” one of the organizers, Nate Welker, said. “Funds are spent on things like fuel and other supplies needed throughout the event.”

The pre-clean-up event held Thursday, Aug. 29, filled up about half of the dumpster and private donations are responsible for the rest.

That pre-clean-up involved 16 people cleaning up an old farm dump on state game lands on Thursday, and three on Saturday to move about 12 cubic yards of “heavy, mixed metal” from Bootjack Farm, where volunteers piled the stuff, to the dumpster. Among that mixed metal was a 1950s Chevy truck.

The pre-clean-up was a success, Welker said.

“Results were awesome,” he said. “You can’t tell that the dump was ever even there.”

The Conewango Creek Clean-up on Saturday kicks off the five days of the annual Allegheny River Clean-up.

The reservoir clean-up is held in the spring.