CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The state Department of Environmental Protection is looking for site coordinators in Jackson and Mason counties for next year's Ohio River Sweep.

The annual River Sweep is sponsored by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and involves the cleanup of nearly 3,000 miles of shoreline in six states. During the cleanup, volunteers comb the banks of the Ohio River and its many tributaries looking for trash and debris. The River Sweep is the largest environmental event of its kind in the country.

DEP coordinates the Mountain State's participation in the River Sweep and provides cleanup supplies to volunteers. This past summer, cleanups occurred at 21 sites in 11 West Virginia counties: Brooke, Cabell, Hancock, Jackson, Marshall, Mason, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood.

Next year's Ohio River Sweep is scheduled for June 15.

For information on volunteering or becoming a site coordinator, contact Travis Cooper at 1-800-322-5530, ext. 1117, or Travis.L.Coo...@wv.gov.