Nearly 40 years ago, two Miami Conservancy District lab technicians were doing what they did every day—collecting water samples from the Great Miami River near the North Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant* (now called Tri-Cities). As they worked, they noticed something impossible to ignore: trash scattered along the riverbank and floating in the water.
They looked at each other and said, “This is terrible. We should do something about it.”
That moment, in 1986, sparked the very first Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River.
The idea took hold quickly. With early support from Tri-County Sanitation and volunteers from Grandview, Miami Valley, and Good Samaritan hospitals, what started as a small cleanup effort began to feel like something bigger.
Soon after, General Motors joined in, bringing volunteers from its Inland, Fisher Body, and Moraine plants. Their participation expanded the cleanup effort farther north and south along the river, helping transform Clean Sweep from a one-day effort into a growing regional initiative.
From the very beginning, the Miami Conservancy District has been involved—supporting the effort, helping coordinate logistics, and tracking results to understand the long-term impact of community stewardship on the river we all depend on.
As corporate participation evolved over time, the Clean Sweep did too. Local leaders, park districts, soil and water conservation districts, municipalities, nonprofits, and community organizations stepped forward to adopt sections of the river in their own hometowns.
Today, the Clean Sweep is a regionally coordinated, locally led effort that spans the entire 170-mile length of the Great Miami River—from Indian Lake at the headwaters to Shawnee Lookout Park at the Ohio River.
Each year, planning begins with face-to-face meetings among sectional leaders and core organizers. Together, they set dates, secure returning sponsors, seek new partners, plan logistics, confirm safety protocols, and build excitement. By late July, it’s “go time” for northern sections, with southern sections following in the fall.
In 2025, Clean Sweep once again demonstrated what’s possible when communities work together across boundaries.
This year:
More than 800 volunteers participated
Nearly 12 tons of trash were removed
Every section of the river reported results
Since tracking began in 2005:
369 tons of debris have been removed
Nearly 7,000 tires have been pulled from the river
More than 17,000 volunteers have taken part
Looking at the full history of Clean Sweep—using Miami Conservancy District records from 1987–2005 and data collected by sectional leaders since—an estimated 850 tons of trash and tires have been removed from the Great Miami River Watershed. That’s nearly the weight of three fully loaded Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
Clean Sweep is about more than trash removal.
It’s about protecting water quality, improving habitat for wildlife, preserving recreational access, and reinforcing the shared responsibility we all have for the river that connects our communities.
It’s also about trust—neighbors showing up year after year, local leaders coordinating across jurisdictions, and volunteers seeing firsthand that their effort makes a difference.
Nearly four decades after two lab workers noticed a problem and took action, Clean Sweep continues to prove that stewardship works best when it’s collaborative, local, and sustained.
At the Miami Conservancy District, we’re proud to have been part of Clean Sweep since the beginning—and even more proud of the thousands of volunteers, partners, and sponsors who keep showing up for the Great Miami River.
Because a cleaner river doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people care—and act—together.
*The Tri-Cities Wastewater Facility (North Regional) serves Huber Heights, Vandalia, and Tipp City, Ohio; originally built by the Miami Conservancy District in 1985, it was purchased from the Miami Conservancy District in 1996 by the cities.
