Iowa City asking for volunteers for river clean-up

The City of Iowa City is asking for volunteers for the annual Iowa River Clean-up event on Saturday, September 16.

Participants will either haul trash while traveling a 9.5-mile section of the Iowa River from Iowa City to Hills by canoe or walk the riverbank in Hills where they will pick-up trash, off load junk from canoes and sort collected materials for recycling.

All volunteers must sign-up in advance online at

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If you have your own canoe, join the launch at 7:30 a.m. on Sturgis Boat Ferry, located on S. Riverside Drive, just south of Highway 6 in Iowa City.

A limited number of canoes will be available for those who sign-up and request a canoe before Wednesday, September 13.

Those interested in walking should meet at noon on Saturday, September 16 at Hills Access, a rural park located next to the river, about a half mile east of Hills on 520th Street. The event is scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m.

The Sturgis Ferry-to-Hills access section of the river is part of the Iowa River Water Trail and offers scenic views of the river, the rural countryside, and local wildlife.

The goal of the volunteer effort is to clear trash and debris from the river, while also protecting the future and integrity of this water resource.

This event is a National Rivers Clean-up Sanctioned Event and is being organized by the City of Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty, as well as the Iowa Flood Center and the Johnson County Conservation Board.