
Cleanup work will begin this week on 10 streams identified as priority areas due to litter accumulation in Fayetteville.
The City Council in August approved a $275,000 contract with Osprey Initiative LLC for the project. The one-year agreement includes automatic renewals for four additional years.
The contract is part of a broader effort to address litter issues and develop prevention strategies.
Parks Maintenance Superintendent Byron Humphrey said many of Fayetteville’s waterways have been significantly impacted by litter, with streams near unsanctioned camps being particularly affected. Other sources of litter also contribute to the problem, he said.
Initial cleanup activities will take place between Jan. 20 and Feb. 1, focusing on removing trash by hand from designated stream sections, including Town Branch, Spout Spring Branch, and Scull Creek, among others.
Osprey Initiative will conduct waste audits to identify sources of litter and recommend preventive measures, according to a news release.
Future phases of the project will include the installation of litter capture devices at key locations and ongoing monitoring and cleanup efforts. Humphrey said the exact number of capture devices installed will depend on recommendations from Osprey Initiative and the available budget.
The five-year project is funded through the city’s capital improvement program, with an annual allocation of $300,000 split between waterway cleanup and unsanctioned camp cleanup efforts.
Streams included in the initial cleanup phase
- Town Branch: confluence with West Fork White River to Interstate 49
- Spout Spring Branch: confluence with Town Branch to E. 7th Street
- College Branch: confluence with Town Branch to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
- Tanglewood Branch: confluence with Spout Spring Branch to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
- Scull Creek: confluence with Mud Creek to Wilson Park
- Hamestring Creek: Rupple Road to N. Porter Road
- Mud Creek: N. Old Missouri Road to N. Gregg Avenue
- Owl Creek: Dale Clark Park to W. Persimmon Street
- Cato Springs Branch: confluence with Town Branch to Fulbright Expressway
- Clear Creek: confluence with Lake Fayetteville to Arkansas 265
This story originally appeared on the Fayetteville Flyer by Todd Gill. You can view the original story online here.