BIRMINGHAM – Renew Our Rivers, the Southeast’s largest organized river cleanup program, begins its second decade this week on the Alabama River in Camden.  The 2010 campaign will run through October with 25 cleanups scheduled on the Cahaba, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Black Warrior, Mobile and Alabama rivers.

“We are excited to bring Renew Our Rivers into a new decade of service,” said Matt Bowden, Alabama Power vice president of Environmental Affairs.  “The program has been a success because of the tens of thousands of community volunteers who have adopted Renew Our Rivers as their own.  With more than 10 million pounds of trash and debris removed in the first 10 years, Renew Our Rivers has made a significant impact on keeping our rivers and lakes clean.”  In Alabama in 2009, Renew Our Rivers removed 715,000 pounds of trash with the help of more than 5,700 volunteers.

The community cleanup in Camden is Saturday, Feb. 27.  Volunteers with or without boats will meet at 27 Riverfront Road at 8 a.m. to remove trash and discarded items from the river.  A sack lunch will be provided for volunteers.  For more information about the cleanup, contact Kathy Maness at 334-682-4296.

For a complete listing of the 2010 Renew Our Rivers schedule, visit www.alabamapower.com/lakes. 

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.  

News Media Contact:  Hallie Bradley, 205-257-4155