Join me at the LoCo Trash Bash on Saturday

Alvin Dedeaux fly fishes on the Colorado River near Webberville on Oct. 20, 2026. He’ll ead the LoCo Trash Bash on Saturday, Oct. 24. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’m planning to pull old tires, plastic bottles and other garbage out of the Colorado River downstream of Austin on Saturday, and couldn’t be happier.

The eighth annual LoCo Trash Bash, organized by Austin’s funkiest fly fishing guide, Alvin Dedeaux, is scheduled for 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The cleanup covers six river sections and three bank sites, wrapping up with an after-party at Big Webberville Park from 3-6 p.m. Since the event started in 2018, volunteers have pulled 65 tons of trash from the river since – and that doesn’t even include tires.

I spent a morning this week on the river with Dedeaux, interviewing him for an upcoming story. (Dedeaux is a former singer for the Austin funk band Bad Mutha Goose.) It reminded me how important it is to protect the waterway, which begins near Lubbock and flows all the way to Matagorda Bay.

Volunteers will clean up 40 miles of the Colorado River on Saturday, Oct. 24. Pam LeBlanc photo

Austin is located near the midpoint of the river, and Longhorn Dam, on the city’s east side, is the last major dam on it. Any trash that makes its way into the Colorado can eventually reach the Texas Coast.

All Water Guides and Cleanup the Colorado focus their efforts on the 40 miles of waterway just below the dam.

Sponsors include Teva, which will be holding a product demo and giveaway on site, along with Texas River School, Roka, American Rivers, Patagonia, Gulf Trust, Howler Bros, Yeti and more.

Register for the event at https://locotrashbash.com/ .