ATLANTA, GA - Volunteers and stream cleanup organizers from across the state are meeting this week in Atlanta to celebrate the accomplishments of Rivers Alive, the state’s largest volunteer cleanup program. The Rivers Alive awards honor the efforts of individuals and groups who are working to improve Georgia’s waterways one trash bag at a time. Volunteers wade into rivers, lakes and streams each fall as part of the continuing statewide campaign to clean and preserve more than 70,000 miles of Georgia waterways.

The Rivers Alive awards ceremony will recognize groups of volunteers, as well as individuals and business for leadership. The ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Park Tavern in midtown Atlanta.

During the 2007 Cleanup, more than 25,000 volunteers cleaned more than 2,300 miles of waterways and removed more than 745,000 pounds of trash and garbage, including washing machines, couches, sinks, televisions, microwaves, tires, shingles and general trash. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) AdoptAStream Program along with the Department of Community Affairs Keep Georgia Beautiful Program jointly hosts the Rivers Alive Waterway Cleanup Program. EPD Watershed Protection Branch Chief Linda MacGregor will speak at the awards ceremony. Olympic whitewater canoeing gold medalist Joe Jacobi is the keynote speaker for the event. Mr. Jacobi will be sharing his experiences with waterways and water recreation.

The awards and their winners are as follows:

• Watershed Leadership award – Ed Pierce, Dublin, Ga.
• Business Leadership award - Tony Tramonte, Plant McDonough plant manager and Georgia Power Company
• Ocean Category - Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority (LAPA)
• Lake Category - Association of Oglethorpe Power Corporation, GA Transmission Corporation, GA Systems Operations Corporation and Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, together known as the Family of Companies (FOC), along with their friends and families and in conjunction with members of the community, including leaders of Boy Scout Troop 103, members of Burnt Watershed alliance and Arbor Montessori School. The event was also planned as part of Hands on Atlanta Day.
• River Category - GA Association of Water Professionals Public Education Committee
• Creek Category - Sierra Club Centennial Group

The 2007 Rivers Alive Sponsors Include: The Ocean Conservancy, Georgia Power, Coca Cola Company, GE Energy, Georgia Ports Authority, Oglethorpe Power, Plum Creek, Meadwestvaco, MEAG, Jones Day, Balch and Bingham LLP, Rivertown Entertainment, LLC, Kodak, MFG Chemical, Cobb County Water Authority, Cobb County Water Authority, Gold Kist Foundation, Whole Foods and Rita F. Gilbert. The generous funding provided by these sponsors allowed Rivers Alive to produce and distribute tshirts and banners to the volunteers, as well as cleanup materials like trash bags and data collection forms to the event organizers.