Louisiana to participate in Pearl River cleanup

Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will participate in the first cleanup of the Pearl River to help quell a growing litter problem on the waterway that runs along the Louisiana-Mississippi border.

Pearl River Clean Sweep 2017 will be held from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and cover 13 Mississippi counties and two Louisiana parishes.

Organizers said the cleanup will span some 490 miles and involves dozens of volunteers from both states. Louisiana state Rep. Malinda Smith, whose district includes St. Tammany and Washington parishes, says they're hoping to get rid of the plastic bottles, Styrofoam and other debris clogging the Pearl.

Louisiana's wildlife department said it's sending two enforcement agents and two vessels to the site to assist with water safety issues.

For more information visit www.pearlriverkeeper.com or www.americanrivers.org.