MUSCATINE, Iowa — The Project Aware river cleanup crew ended up in Muscatine County on Friday night after removing 33 tons of trash from Iowa waterways over a week-long journey.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources drew more than 100 volunteers from around Iowa over the week, which was initially intended to be a Cedar River cleanup mission.

Project Aware enlists DNR employees and volunteers who are dedicated to cleaning up waterways and who enjoy canoeing or kayaking. Persons ranging in age from 2 to 75 participated.

Organizers say that since its inception seven years ago, Project Aware has enlisted more than 1,200 participants to clean up nearly 500 miles of Iowa rivers.

This year’s cleanup project took place from June 20-27 and the original plan was to clean an 86-mile stretch of Cedar River from Center Point to Muscatine. However, because of high waters the group wound up on the Cedar for only two days and also cleaned up portions of Big Creek, Indian Creek and Pleasant Creek Lake.

“This was the fourth year out of the seven years we’ve done this project that we hit high water. The Cedar was too high in most areas and we couldn’t get on it with canoes,” said Luke Wright, DNR water trails program.

On Friday night, group members set up their tents at Muscatine’s Salisbury Recreation Area for the last night of the trip. The volunteers woke up for breakfast and a leisurely canoe trip down Chicken Creek, where they pulled small amounts of trash from the banks.

Linda Applegate of Des Moines said the project attracts all types of people who can either come for a day or stay the whole week. This was the fourth year Applegate volunteered and she said she often sees young kids rolling tires off the bank while their parents also pull trash from the water.

“The DNR does a good job of coordinating and everyone works together so if there is a new participant they will be partnered with someone more familiar with the cleanup,” Applegate said.

Diane Ford of Des Moines works for the DNR but took time off to volunteer for the project. Ford said, as has been the case in other years, the team found many interesting items other than the usual beer cans and trash. They pulled a lawn mower, bathroom sink, furniture and parts of a Model T car from the water this year.

Wright said the estimated 33 tons collected this year was the second largest amount since the inception of Project Aware. Last year, the project cleaned up 47 tons, due mainly to large debris washed into the water from 2008’s record flooding.

“A lot of it was old garbage this year. We have been seeing fewer dump sites so I hope people are getting the picture that dumping loads of debris into waterways is not right,” Wright said.

Of the 33 tons collected this year 66 percent is recyclable, he added.

The group helped tear down some flooded cabin debris from the Cedar Bluffs area and a crew from the Living Lands & Waters volunteer group met up with them to assist with removing six 30-yard garbage bins full of debris from the area. The DNR supplies trucks to haul away the debris.

“We couldn’t have done it without them (Living Land),” Wright said. “When we use canoes, if there is a big item like a refrigerator, we tie two canoes together and lay it across the top.”