SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It has been a hot day throughout our region, but the weather did not stop a cleanup of the Big Sioux River Saturday.

Volunteers from the community walked the river to clean up any garbage they could find.

“We fill up the canoes with trash, all kinds of things, from plastic bags and bottles to larger items like shopping carts, picnic tables and kids toys. ‘You name it, we’ve probably found it in there,” Friends of the Big Sioux River education and outreach manager Emily Oyos said.

“It’s important for the animals because this is their home,” volunteer Jubilee Wegh said.

This is Jubilee Wegh and her father Shannon’s third time saving the animals.

“Just a unique experience for us,” Shannon Wegh said. “We don’t get to spend a lot of time actually in our own river in our town, so it’s kind of fun to get our feet in the mud, get our hands on the mud.”

The people who came out Saturday were expecting their job to be a little bit harder because of the heavy rains that fell earlier in the week.

“When we have those huge flooding events that it floods parks that are right along the river, such as Yankton Trail or other ones. Sometimes, it will even pick up those picnic tables and soccer goals and of course the trash cans that are in the park as well. Those can end up in the river,” Oyos said.

But the work was worth it if that meant the river would be better than it was yesterday.

“We love our town. We love our environment. We believe that all the ecological systems are interconnected. If you damage one thing, it damages the whole,” Shannon Wegh said.

“These are some of my favorite cleanups to do where we actually get in the water. You feel like you need 10 showers afterwards because you’re really gross, but it’s also extremely rewarding to see all the things that you’re able to pull out in just a few hours,” Oyos said.

Making the Big Sioux cleaner one piece of trash at a time.

The cleanup was part of a partnership between Friends of the Big Sioux River and Sioux Empire Paddlers. There were also members of Sioux Falls Fire Rescue there.

The volunteers filled up five canoes worth of trash, and they found everything from cans, tires and even a porta-potty door. The canoes were provided by Camp Leif Ericson.

The next cleanup will be on September 20 from 10 a.m. to noon in downtown Sioux Falls.