Members of the Barrie River Access Task Force told the City Council on Sept. 9 about a fourth annual river cleanup scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m. and about ongoing planning to expand safe public access to the Winooski River.

Task force members Kathy Jamieson and Peter Anthony said volunteers should meet at the Spalding Overflow parking lot (a student parking lot on the opposite riverbank from the school) at 9 a.m. to collect debris from riverbanks and, where water levels allow, to float canoes and retrieve material. Volunteers can RSVP by emailing barreyrivers@gmail.com; the task force said it will accept walk-ups on the morning of the event and that volunteers who are not able to wade or paddle can serve as “runners” to support teams from the parking lot.

Partnerships and planning: the task force said it is working with Friends of the Winooski River and noted a Vermont Outdoor Recreation Grant award that funded a DuBois and King master plan for river access. The consultant team will present a draft of that plan to the public at an upcoming Courier Park event (DuBois and King scheduled to be present on Sept. 24), and the task force is coordinating a trail design by Rotary Park to improve views of a nearby waterfall.

Water quality monitoring: volunteers and the Friends group are conducting water-quality sampling for phosphorus, nitrogen and chloride at multiple locations; task force members said early results show some E. coli hotspots upriver from the wastewater-treatment plant and that the data have been shared with city staff for follow-up.

Why it matters: the task force connects recreational access with resilience and water-quality monitoring; members said better access and stewardship can support both public enjoyment of the river and long-term flood-mitigation planning.

Ending: the task force invited councilors and residents to the cleanup on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Spalding Overflow parking lot and said more information and a newsletter are available via the Friends of the Winooski River website.