Although work is underway to remove a logjam from the Pearl River, the annual cleanup day is still planned for this weekend, according to site leader State Rep. Malinda White.

Once again, Washington Parish is participating in the Pearl River Clean Sweep, which will cover the entire Pearl River Basin including the Strong and Bogue Chitto rivers. The cleanup teams will be deployed across two Louisiana, 15 Mississippi counties and more than 490 miles of river.

During last year’s inaugural event, more than 1,000 volunteers removed 18 tons of trash from the Pearl River watershed.

There will be a cleanup day this Saturday, starting at 8 a.m., and the launches will be from three different locations. The launch locations are the Louisiana Pearl River Bridge Landing at Highway 10, the Richardson Landing on Riverside Drive off Highway 21, and the Pool’s Bluff Boat Launch on Pool’s Bluff Road off Highway 21.

“Last year we had the most participants and collected the most waste out of any team on the river,” White said. “This year, we hope to do the same. We just want to get people to sign up and be there — canoers, kayakers, boats with motors, all are welcome. We plan to get tons of debris out of our river.”

Those who wish to sign up to participate can do so online at www.pearlriverkeeper.com. Choose “Bogalusa: LA Upper Pearl River” for the location. Saturday’s cleanup will be from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.

White said that portions parts of the river may not be as accessible as they were last year, due to closures associated with the logjam removal.

For more information about Saturday’s cleanup day, call White at 985-730-2147.

There will also be a cleanup day on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Bogue Chitto State Park in Franklinton. State Sen. Beth Mizell is the site leader for that day.

The meet-up location is Bogue Chitto State Park, located at 17049 State Park Blvd. in Franklinton.