River City Waterway Alliance

River City Waterway Alliance RCWA is a 501c3 California non-profit corporation dedicated to cleaning, restoring & protecting Sacramento area waterways. We host 4-5 cleanups every week.

Please join us. ๐‘๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐–๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐€๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž (๐‘๐‚๐–๐€) is an all-volunteer group strongly dedicated to cleaning, restoring and protecting the imperiled waterways of the Sacramento region. We work in partnership with public agencies and community groups, raise awareness about environmental damage to our waterways, attract new volunteers, and advocate for policies that provide abatement and restoration measures to improve the long-term ecological health and sustainability of our creeks, streams, rivers and sloughs. Since RCWAโ€™s inception on January 13, 2023, we have hosted 983 volunteer clean-up events which elicited 33,662 total volunteer hours and removed 3,680,000 pounds of trash and abandoned encampment debris from local waterways and adjacent riparian habitats (as of January 31, 2026). Despite the more than 33,000 volunteer hours committed during these cleanups, the trash and debris remaining in these critically important ecological areas are still estimated at many millions of pounds. Based upon the trails of inorganic flotsam observed gushing down our waterways after heavy rains, it is clear many thousands of pounds of these contaminants are flushed into the Delta and beyond from Sacramento waterways each year. We would appreciate all the support, promotion and awareness you might be able to provide to RCWA. Please join us at a cleanup, donate the our cause, share our group on Facebook, Instagram and/or YouTube and let your elected officials know if you think they should be helping us more in this mission. Working together, we will make substantial progress. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

๐‘๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐–๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐€๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž
๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ & ๐˜—๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜–๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ž๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด

๐ŸAliโ€™s Friday Arcade Crk Cleanup @ Arcade Crk Park, 10/9/26 At last, our 2026 Friday maintenance operation reached Aliโ€™s...
10/11/2026

๐ŸAliโ€™s Friday Arcade Crk Cleanup @ Arcade Crk Park, 10/9/26

At last, our 2026 Friday maintenance operation reached Aliโ€™s original adopted spot (which spans .8 miles from the footbridge behind American River College all the way up to Madison Avenue).

With a large crew and cooler weather, were able to cover 2/3 of a mile, and it took that far to amass a respectable pile. This area is just so much cleaner these days. โ˜บ๏ธ

Highlights of the day included Darylโ€™s return after his 2 1/2 month trip away and playing the cocklebur game, trying to see how many cocklebur were growing out of socks, textiles and plastic. The symbiotic relationship between the barbed seeds of the cocklebur plants and these items is extraordinary. The burs cling to the items extensively, while the inorganic materials hold moisture like a sponge. This allows the seeds to germinate and grow, even during the dry months. We even found ne growing out of an old shoe!

It was another wonderful day. Thank you Ali for all the years of stewardship and the rest of the great team for making things so incredibly fun and productive. ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ’™

10/11/2026

โ›ณ๏ธ ๐‡๐š๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐Ž๐š๐ค๐ฌ ๐†๐จ๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฑ ๐Ÿ-๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐‚๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ง๐ฎ๐ฉ

After our morning cleanups at Steelhead Creek last Monday and Tuesday, big groups of us ran out to perform a couple of very fun and productive cleanups at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, despite the grueling heat. Like last year, most of the golfing activity was paused for 2-days for course maintenance. Our goal was lofty - to cover the .75 mile creek stretch through the course in just 2 events, after it required 4 events last year.

While the golf complex itself is beautiful and exquisitely maintained, the creek suffers due to upstream pollution during high waters. While we have drastically reduced the inflow of trashy debris by our work upstream, there were plenty of old items to keep us very busy for all 6 hours.

With a dry creek bed this year, a stark contrast to last year, we made steady progress, despite required breaks to rest, cool down and hydrate. Our total 2-day haul was roughly 4,200 lbs and included lots of plastic bags, 23 tires (1 less than last year), 1 mattress, an old Sacramento Bee newspaper rack, hoses, 2 shopping carts, signs, construction materials and more.

Despite the heat and the reduced number of events, we reached our goal, and completed the entire stretch!

In addition to the trash, we were able to remove over 420 invasive Red Sesbania trees from the creek bed and banks, including many thousands of seed pods that we stripped, bagged and hauled out to reduce future repopulation.

We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to General Manager Mike and the rest of the folks at Haggin Oaks for accommodating our project, hauling the heavy piles of debris, providing post-event food and hydration and, overall, being phenomenal hosts. We canโ€™t wait to return next Fall to keep the creek maintained!

Thank you so much everyone!!! ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿฆก

10/09/2026

HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 7)

The LAST day of this epic annual project was phenomenal as we continued working alongside the great crews at American River Flood Control District . We knocked off another 5-6 trash explosion sites and forged upstream all the way to Interstate 80, connecting with the stretch we had reached working downstream from Robla Creek all winter and spring.

Final stats for this incredibly fun and productive 7-day project will be shared soon. Thank you everyone who made this happen! ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’™

10/09/2026

HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 6)

On Wednesday, our 18 volunteers teamed up with the great crews at American River Flood Control District to continue our progress working up the right/east bank from the confluence with Arcade Creek up towards and beyond the San Juan/Silver Eagle Bridge. Despite the unusual heat wave over the past 6 days, on this day we managed to surpass the longest contiguous stretch of creek cleaned during any prior Multi-Agency cleanup at Steelhead Creek, dating back 8 years! How far did we travel in Days 1-6? 1.3 miles!!!

With these large scale cleanups, we typically split up and tackle multiple areas at one time, which makes logging notable accomplishments a bit challenging. This is compounded by the fact that the skilled equipment operators at ARFCD make our huge piles vanish so fast, sometimes almost instantanously. It's remarkable! However, we are somewhat certain we built 5-6 huge piles of trash, and reasonably certain we removed 6 shopping carts (1 completely buried on the bank), 2 tires, 7 mattresses and a deep freezer (thanks to Victor at ARFCD)!

Highlights of the day included a close encounter with a majestic and fearless Red-tailed Hawk and the sighting of another beautiful Mink, the 4th Mink sighted along Steelhead Creek in just the past 3-4 weeks! We are absolutely exuberant to see wildlife returning to these areas so quickly!

Thank you everyone for another fun and productive event! ๐Ÿ’™๐ŸŸ๐Ÿ™

10/08/2026

HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 5)

On Tuesday, 18 volunteers returned to Steelhead Creek for the 5th day in a row, working again alongside our friends at Reclamation District 1000. When we have assistance with the equipment, itโ€™s all about making big piles, trying to ignore the small stuff until later and covering as much ground as possible. This goal was perfectly executed despite the brutal heat, as we hit 4 horrible spots, made 7 large piles and covered over 1,000 feet of creek bank.

With so much ground to cover, we all stayed on land and deployed rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows and fire lines to move trash as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Despite logistical problems created by long dump lines, RD 1000 caught up and removed all of our piles by the end of the day, allowing us to start fresh on Wednesday. The total trash hauled by RD on Monday and Tuesday (from Days 1-5 of our cleanup), weighed in at 32,580 lbs, not including 79 tires!

Fantastic job everyone and thank you so much volunteers and the crews at RD 1000. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’š

The final day of this project is tomorrow, Thursday Oct 8. Come out and help us conclude this EPIC week! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’™๐ŸŸ HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk !!!

10/08/2026

HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 4)

On Monday, we were ecstatic to see the guys with the big boy toys (Reclamation District 1000) who showed up to start hauling away our piles from Day 1-3. Meanwhile, 20 volunteers kept going strong yanking out trash and debris from the creek and along its banks. Notable accomplishments included a whopping 28 tires removed from the channel, along with 3 shopping carts, a giant ball of wires embedded in the bank and wrapped with trash and roots, and 3 soaked (and ridiculously heavy) mattresses. Kudos to Lisa for disecting 2 of the mattresses so they could be moved over 150 feet to the staging area.

More huge piles were made, but they disappeared quickly thanks to the skilled equipment operators. Thank you volunteers and Reclamation District 1000. So much progress is being made out there! Drone imagery courtesy of Randy Smith. Thank you Randy!

The final day of this project is tomorrow, Thursday Oct 8. Come out and help us conclude this EPIC week! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’™๐ŸŸ

Wow, 4 cleanups in the past 2 days! While our media crew tries to catch up, please enjoy this image of an absolutely bea...
10/07/2026

Wow, 4 cleanups in the past 2 days! While our media crew tries to catch up, please enjoy this image of an absolutely beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk captured by our volunteer Kyle yesterday. The majestic raptor patiently stood guard 12 feet above us as we cleaned the creek below. Sometimes we honestly feel like nature โ€œgetsโ€ what weโ€™re doing and grants us unconditional trust and access. Itโ€™s so inspiring. ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’š

10/05/2026

HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 3)

On Sunday, 30 incredible volunteers did what they always do ... cleaned a forgotten riparian habitat. Forgotten by everyone except the critters trying to survive there, and this small group of volunteers fighting for their survival. ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿ๐Ÿข๐Ÿฆ†๐Ÿ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ

Massive piles of trash and debris made again, including 3 shopping carts, 27 tires, 2 mattresses, piles of toxic synthetic textiles and fibers, endless non-biodegrdable plastic, and other pollution toxic to the natural environment. Downer of the day: discovering 30 bags of really gross trash collected Saturday had been dumped and strewn about overnight. Why?

We'll be back at it for 7 more straight days starting Monday. Think globally, act locally. Come make a difference with us. ๐Ÿ’™๐ŸŒŽ

Happy Sunday everyone!With the conclusion of our HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 3)  this morning, ...
10/04/2026

Happy Sunday everyone!

With the conclusion of our HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Crk (Day 3) this morning, RCWA ended the week by hosting the first 5 cleanups in our ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐–๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐‚๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ง - 4 of them at Steelhead Creek and 1 at Arcade Creek!

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ The combined weight of trash removed over the past 5 days is currently unknown, as scores of massive piles were made at Steelhead Creek, and the hauling will not start until Reclamation District 1000 joins us on Monday with their equipment. However, it appears that figure will exceed 30,000 pounds. We do know that volunteers donated 316 hours of work during the past 5 days and removed 11 shopping carts, 58 tires and 9 mattresses! Just incredible ...

๐Ÿ“† This week, we will host 9 events in 7 days to continue with our Marathon, including Days 4 through 7 of the HUGE 7-Day Multi-Agency Cleanup @ Steelhead Creek. This will also include 2 afternoons at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex (Mon-Tues).

Who is dedicated enough to care about Sacramento creeks this much? Well, we are of course, and we'd love for more folks to join us as we double-down on removing trash and debris ahead of the high waters coming up this winter.

โฐ IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to the unseasonably warm weather, we have reverted back to our summer schedule for the next week. Starting immediately, all morning cleanups will be 8:30 am to 11:30 am.

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ป As a reminder, you can track our updated stats, including our invasive species removal progress, see our latest event calendar and make tax-deductible donations on our new website: https://rivercitywaterwayalliance.org

๐Ÿ™ Many of our current events are funded in part by a grant received through Sacramento County's FY 2026-27 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Grant Program. Thank you Sacramento County!

๐ŸŸ๐Ÿฆ†๐Ÿข Thank you to everyone who participates in our critically important waterway cleanups, those who continue to advocate behind the scenes, and those who fiscally sponsor our efforts. We continue to tackle some of the most polluted waters in the region, in areas where no one else dares to venture.

โ˜‘๏ธPlease double check start times and locations immediately prior to the event as they can vary and/or change. Please also carefully review the Event Descriptions for all events you attend (in advance)
โ˜‘๏ธPlease hydrate before the events, and bring along plenty of fluids for intake during the cleanups. Take it easy, listen to your body, don't overdo it and take breaks as needed.
โ˜‘๏ธ For more information about events and to sign-up as โ€œGoingโ€ (encouraged but not required), please go to our Events list on this page.
โ˜‘๏ธOur events are always accessible on our website or under our Facebook Events tab (under the "Featured" section or by clicking the "More" tab)
โ˜‘๏ธ Please sign up for our email list if you are not already on it.
โ˜‘๏ธ Punctuality is very important due to locked gates and remote cleanup locations. Please arrive at least 10-15 mins early for events.

Address

2101 W Street
Sacramento, CA
95818

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