The annual DuPage County River Sweep is a county-wide self-coordinated stream cleanup held each spring. The purpose of the river sweep is to encourage volunteers to help "sweep our rivers clean" by picking up debris in and along the local waterways. More than 6,800 volunteers have removed nearly 190 tons of garbage from DuPage County streams since 1991.  The 2010 DuPage County River Sweep was held May 22nd with more than 300 hundred volunteers participating!

During Sweep 2009, more than 560 volunteers cleaned up 5.37 tons of trash from the DuPage River and its tributaries, and restored more than 6,000 square feet of shoreline by removing invasive species such as buckthorn, garlic mustard, honeysuckle and multiflora rose, and planting native plants.  Each year the amount of trash collected in the Sweep decreases, which is a direct indication of the event's tremendous positive impact on the watershed over time.

To participate in the Sweep, Community Liaisons and groups select a section of stream and through their own coordination go out and remove litter from the area. Participants can choose to gather trash from shore or get in the water on a canoe or kayak.  In recent years, the Sweep has also included natural areas restoration efforts to aid in streambank stabilization. 

Supplies and technical support are provided by the sponsoring organizations to help groups coordinate their efforts.  2010 DuPage River Sweep sponsors were: The Conservation Foundation, Waste Management, Inc., the DuPage County Stormwater Management Division and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. We also partner with American Rivers, Ice Mountain, and Illinois EPA.