Chelan County Officials Conduct Clean Up Under Dryden Bridge

A small piece of Chelan County is looking a little brighter after being the subject of an intensive clean up effort last week.

Officials with Chelan County took the action after repeated complaints from citizens about the amount of garbage that was piling up under the Dryden Bridge, which carries vehicle traffic over the Wenatchee River on Main Street in the town of Dryden.

The area had become littered with refuse after being used by the homeless as a temporary shelter. And prior to the clean up, the County's Homeless Housing Network conducted outreach to connect those using the underside of the bridge for these purposes with support, including other housing alternatives.

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Once the outreach was complete, personnel from the County's Public Works Department and Sheriff's Office went to work cleaning up the area.

"There was a lot of garbage under the bridge and its abutments, including clothing and other items," explains the County's Solid Waste Coordinator, Kris Perry. "The issue was a concern for public safety and was also presenting an environmental hazard since its right there next to the river."

Perry adds the County's effort occurred only hours before the waters of the Wenatchee River began to rise during last week's storm system that caused widespread flooding in the region.

The County is crediting the clean up to the citizens who reported the issues and Perry says they are always seeking input about any areas of the county where similar concerns might be present.

"It helps us out a lot in our mission. A place like this that's underneath a bridge is an area that a lot of us aren't likely seeing as we drive over the bridge. So, we really rely on our citizens to let us know about these areas so we can get resources assigned to them and get them cleaned up."

The clean up happened on Thursday, Dec. 11 and Perry says it took crews about two hours to fully remove all of the garbage from the site.