Renew Our Rivers targets lower Pascagoula River

Renew Our Rivers volunteers targeted the lower Pascagoula River Friday morning in the first cleanup specifically aimed at the area between I-10 and U.S. 90 in Jackson County.

More than 50 volunteers removed tires, Styrofoam, furniture, bottles and trash – totaling more than a ton total – from the water and islands along the river.

“Our fall cleanup on the river is one of the biggest that we host every year,” Renew Our Rivers coordinator Courtney VanderSchaaf said. “We were approached by some potential partners last year about targeting this area and it’s turned out to be another great event.”

Singing River Electric, CableOne, Eco Tours of South Mississippi, the City of Gautier and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office all took part in today’s event.

“This is a great example of the value of partnerships when it comes to environmental stewardship,” VanderSchaaf said. “Everyone here has the same mission, to leave the Pascagoula River a little cleaner than how we found it this morning.”

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 187,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

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