BERKELEY – The parks and shores are prime locations for clean-ups, but one group goes even further by removing garbage from the river bottom.
Berkeley Township Underwater Search And Rescue stands ready for capsized ships or missing persons, but at the start of summer they use their skills to search for trash.
Captain Carl Mattocks said they started their clean-up at the trestle in Bayville and made their way to Dudley Park.
“For us, we know debris is in the water,” he said. “Sad to say a lot of it is broken glass. We don’t want that to end up in the Dudley Park area.”
The river flows at a pretty good pace, so there’s a strong chance that the garbage left from people partying at the trestle will make its way to the small family-friendly beach at Dudley.
So, a group of volunteers donned scuba equipment and scoured the bottom of Cedar Creek. They collected a number of beer cans and bottles.
“That’s the stuff that can cut people,” he said. “When we go in the water, we’re prepared.” They have thick gloves and boots on to protect themselves, as opposed to someone swimming in just a bathing suit.
The divers also donned 25-40 pounds of weights to let them sink to the bottom and stay there without the current pushing them around. So, it was a physically demanding task.
“We’re used to low visibility,” Mattocks said, but they also brought lights to help them find items.
There were some spots that trapped the garbage easily, in the way that a beaver dam would collect material, so that helped the divers find trash.
By the end of the day, they had collected six to seven big black garbage bags, enough to fill two boats, he said.
Mattocks thanked the township for supporting their efforts, and noted that the Parks Department removes the garbage after they collect it.
The dive team has been busy lately. Besides doing clean-ups throughout the year, other activities include cleaning jellyfish polyps from docks to keep stinging nettles at bay, as well as recovering abandoned and beached boats.
The dive team is always looking for new members. Feel free to drop by on Wednesday evenings and all day on Saturday at the dive building at 10 Station Road. They also welcome non-team members to participate in their events. For more information, visit BTUSAR.us.
