A group of canoeists paddled down the Kaw river April 25 to look for signs of pollution between Perry and Lawrence. They found a lot of what they were looking for.
The banks of the river were sporadically covered with rusting car hulls, old refrigerators and bottles. Nothing new was seen, rivers have been man's garbage disposal for years.
In the channels, where the current swept the fastest, occasional dirty suds would gather, caught by a willow tree's branches dragging the water's surface, and give the appearance of dirty styroform floating on the water.
By 8:30 a.m. 31 people managed to crowd into eight canoes and a sailboat and began paddling or sailing downstream on the Delaware river, a tributary of the Kaw. Almost immediately, signs of pollution were observed. Four rusted car hulls were seen, not more than 100 yards from where the canoes were put in at Perry. Before reaching the Kaw about a mile downstream, 14 more rusted car hulls and a washing machine were sighted.
The mouth of the Kaw was marked with a whiskey bottle
During the run down the Kansas River, the group was attentive to man's effect on the river and the wildlife the river supported.
Canoeists travel the cluttered Kaw
Photos by Greg Sorber
and a gas can. Moving into the current, a light bulb floated by.
After passing the Lecompton bridge about two or three miles downstream, there was a dump with rusting car hulls. The dump covered about 100 yards of the river bank.
Paddling by a riverside farmer's house a tire swing was noticed hanging over the river. The bank around the farmer's house and tire swing were uncluttered, but fifty yards downstream from the swing a sizeable dump full of bottles, cans and other nondisposable trash were strewn along the bank.
All the way down the river, about every half mile and occasionally in shorter intervals, dumps clustered the river banks with glass bottles and rusting metal. The greatest quantity of pollution observed were the masses of rusting car hulls scarring the banks of the Kaw, with second place going to the bottles and cans scattered on the dumps and others occasionally floating freely with the downstream current.
Occasional wildlife was seen such as birds, a few jumping fish and flock of geese.
As the canoeists paddled near the flock of geese, the geese flew away. Geese depend much more directly on the water supply than the canoeists. Again nature was disturbed by the intruderman.
The trip was more than entertaining. Along with a sunburn most of the canoeists gained a little first hand education on the observable effects of pollution.
A familiar sight A familiar sight, the rusting hulks of automobiles litter the shores of the Kansas river in many places.
Stranded on the sand The canoeists searched for deeper water after their boat became grounded on a submerged sandbar. Most got their feet wet when they stepped out of the canoes to push them to the deeper water.