MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- Tons of trash, and even entire trees, are being pulled from Black Creek. Most of it is debris from Tropical Storm Debby that has been clogging the creek for months.
"We had some dock debris, some construction debris and some vessels, some boats that sunk during the storm," said Clay Emergency Management Deputy Director, John Ward.
Crews have been clearing the creek for the past two weeks. So far, they have removed 21,000 pounds of garbage drowned by Debby.
"It's a lot cleaner. They pulled out all kinds of junk. They pulled our neighbors dock and put it back on the banks," said Doug Walker.
Walker lives in one of the 600 Clay County homes damaged in the storm. And he is still cleaning up too. "It actually came up about 18-feet from where it's at now," he said.
The cleanup project cost $84,000 in state and federal dollars, but it will make these waters a lot safer. "We had almost record floods," said Ward. "It's more than anyone alive has seen."
It's trash people in Middleburg won't have to worry about when the creek crests again. Leaders say crews should complete the creek cleanup this week, if the weather permits.
