Minnehaha Creek Watershed urges litter cleanup

Minnesota's drought and the change of seasons are leaving parts of Minnehaha Creek dried up, exposing piles of trash and litter -- from pop cans to a large BBQ grill.

As a result, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is encouraging residents to lend a hand as trash piles up along parts of the creek and help pick it up before the snow flies.

"It's a perennial problem," said Telly Mamayek, spokeswoman with the district. "Everybody should do their part to keep our resources clean."

Staff from the district have found everything from tires to boards to the grill near the creek in St. Louis Park.

"It's amazing the stuff that gets put in the creek," Mamayek said.

In July, hundreds of volunteers helped pick up trash along Minnehaha Creek and the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis, part of the Watershed District's sixth annual event. No organized creek cleanups are scheduled now, but the district encourages residents to help out whenever they see trash near the creek.

The creek stretches 22 miles from Lake Minnetonka to the Mississippi River.