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More Than 600 Volunteer At Annual Charles River Cleanup

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — More than 600 volunteers are participating in the 17th annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup.

The volunteers will be picking up trash Saturday at over 100 different sites along the Charles River and its tributaries. The cleanup runs from the Museum of Science to the Bridge at BU.

Since 2000, the Esplanade Association has partnered with the Charles River Watershed Association to coordinate the event.

Esplanade Association Executive Director Tani Marinovich says its an important event.

"Twenty-five years ago when I moved here if you fell into the river you had to get a tetanus shot. It was one of the dirtiest rivers in the whole country," Marinovich said. "At this point, our rating for the river is a B plus."

An estimated 50 tons of litter was removed at last year's event.

Over 3,000 volunteers are working at 100 different sites along the 80 miles of the Charles River.

The volunteers come from more than 100 neighborhood, school, religious and corporate groups.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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