RIVERS -- About 70 volunteers picked up tons of junk along the upper Spokane River on Saturday during the annual UpRiver Scrub organized by the Northwest Whitewater Association.

"We picked up our usual strange array of garbage and trash," said club co-organizer Paul Delaney. "Notable items included an old wagon wheel rim, a tire and rim from probably a 1940s truck and the coin mechanism from a laundromat washer or dryer just to name a few."

Members in rafts worked the shallows of the river and collected junk gathered by shore-based volunteers including students from the West Valley School District's City School. Johnson Controls backed the event with a funding grant.

"It's a great way to offer a little payback to the river that offers us so much beauty and especially enjoyment," Delaney said.

"To those who missed it we would REALLY love to see you part of UpRiver Scrub 2016."