Potomac River Cleanup Trip Report
By Kathleen Sengstock, CCA Conservation Chair
April 20, 2026
The CCA’s Potomac River Cleanup Trip at Riley’s Lock on Saturday, April 18, 2026, was a spectacular success!
Dianne Whitaker and I organized the event, and Susan Sherrod and Beth Kollar helped publicize it among both the CCA and BRV memberships. We had 9 participants: Dominique Troost, Karim Troost, Jon Zeidler, Beth Koller, Barb Brown, Dasa Merkova, Keith Edmondson, Dianne Whitaker, and yours truly. It was a warm, sunny, and beautiful day.
After brief introductions at the boat ramp on Seneca Creek, we split up to cover more ground (and more water). Dominique and Karim collected trash on land at Riley’s Lock. Beth collected trash on land in the area around the old mill, on the upstream side of Seneca Creek. Dianne and Keith, in Keith’s tandem open canoe, and Barb in her kayak, paddled up Seneca Creek, collected trash, and hauled it back in their boats to the boat ramp. Jon paddled his kayak out to the Potomac River and hauled loads of trash back on his own. Dasa in her kayak and I in my OC-1 paddled up the Maryland shore of the Potomac River and loaded our boats with trash. Dasa and I found three long pipes and one huge truck tire with the rim still attached, which were too heavy to paddle back, so we left them at convenient spots on the Maryland shore by the picnic area, planning to come back for them later.
The truck tire turned out to be a major team effort! Keith estimated that it weighed about 300 pounds. Dasa and I – by ourselves – managed to lift the tire on its side and slide it on to the stern of my OC-1, but it was much too heavy to paddle the boat or even balance it without constant adjustments. So, Dasa and I waded through the water, pulling her kayak and my canoe, while balancing my canoe, the tire, and all our trash bags. We waded back along the Maryland shore until we found a spot by the picnic area to leave the tire, and then we paddled back up Seneca Creek to the boat ramp with the rest of our trash. Keith and Dasa then paddled Keith’s tandem canoe back to get the tire, but it was too heavy even for the large tandem boat. So, they left Keith’s canoe on the shore where they found the tire, and the two of them rolled the tire up to the towpath with the help of a nearby good Samaritan. Jon and I met them at the picnic area, and Jon and Keith managed to roll the heavy tire all the way back across the bridge over Seneca Creek to the trash pile by the boat ramp. Meanwhile, Dasa carried the 3 pipes back, and I paddled Keith’s canoe back to the put-in.
After resting, eating lunch, and taking pictures of our trash haul, Barb, Beth, and I enjoyed a paddling trip from Riley’s to Pennyfield. (Thanks to Keith for running shuttle.) I got quite an athletic workout paddling my OC-1 across the Potomac in strong winds. Dianne rode her bike to Pennyfield and helped us load our boats back on to our cars.
When all was said and done, we had collected 12 bags of trash, 2 bags of recyclable bottles and cans, 4 large pieces of metal, including the 3 pipes, and 3 tires. Thanks to everyone who contributed to our success! It was an amazing day!