Test caption for news image

Volunteers help to make sure Berryessa clean for drinking water

Jun 6, 2018 at 11:00am

By Susan Hiland, Daily Republic

One hundred volunteers from the Bureau of Reclamation, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Fairfield and Solano Resource Conservation District organized the cleanup Sunday at Markley Cove Resort to commemorate World Environment Day.

“This is close to the beginning of the summer season when people come out to the lake,” said Marianne Butler, educational director for the Solano Resource Conservation District. “Then we will come back out for cleanup at the end of the season.”

The theme this year is “Beat Plastic Pollution.” It is an international day of cleanup, so across the world millions of people were helping to remove garbage from waterways and roads.

“Plastics and garbage go into a sewer drain, then to streams, rivers and finally out to the ocean,” Butler said. “Most people don’t realize that little piece of paper goes into the ocean.”

She was surprised at the turnout of so many people who came from Oakland, Sacramento and even farther away.

Brian Mooy didn’t have to come that far. He lives in Dixon and wanted to volunteer for cleanup duty as part of his job with the Jannsen arm of Johnson & Johnson in Vacaville.

“It is important to keep this water clean so we can drink it,” he said.

Mooy found a shoe, some bait and pizza ingredients along the road near the point.

“I poured the live worms out and tossed the container in my trash bag,” he said.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery is one of the biggest companies in the area that make use of Lake Berryessa – in their case, to make its beer.

Click here to read more.