The annual Rivers Alive event, initially scheduled for Oct. 27, will be bringing out volunteers this weekend to clear debris from the Flint River.

Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful’s 16th annual river cleanup begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers will meet at West Third Avenue and the Flint, and walk along the west side of the river to pick up trash.

“Water is our planet’s most precious resource,” KADB Executive Director Judy Bowles said, “and it is incumbent upon each of us to do our part to protect our water from pollution for our citizens as well as for our abundant wildlife population.”

The event is being held at a later date this year due to Hurricane Michael.

Rivers Alive is a program sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division and The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. It is meant to encourage cleanups along all 70,150 miles of Georgia’s rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.

The campaign’s intent is to create awareness of Georgia’s water resources through hands-on involvement. KADB officials said that, over the last 15 years, volunteers have removed 51.44 tons of debris from the banks and bed of the Flint.

Canoers and kayakers can meet at Veterans Park across from the Albany Civic Center. This year’s event is being sponsored by MillerCoors, and being held through partnerships with Flint Riverkeeper, Jones Ecological Research Center and Lee County Rivers Alive.