23
Shor e l i n e S
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2016 Vol :4
After years of watching his beloved
Coosa River turn into a dumping
ground for trash and debris, Gene
Phifer took matters into his
own hands.
In 1999, Phifer, who was then the
regulatory Compliance supervisor
at Alabama Power's Plant Gadsden,
spearheaded the first cleanup on
the Coosa River. That effort, which
began with employees cleaning a
2-mile stretch of waterway near
the plant, has grown into multiple
cleanups with thousands of volunteers
joining forces to remove trash from
river systems across the Southeast.
Though he has been retired for
seven years, Phifer still plays an
instrumental role in the local cleanup.
Looking back, Phifer says the
Coosa River has always been an
integral part of his life. He spent time
on the water as a boy with his dad and
worked on the banks of the river.
"We have a river system flowing
right through our town, and it was
serving as a collection site for debris,"
Above: Photo by wynter Byrd – Gene Phifer proudly poses by a pile of debris removed from the Coosa River.
ONE MAN'S vision
G E N E P H I F E R S T I L L C L E A N I N G U P T H E C O O S A R I V E R 17 Y E A R S A F T E R S T A R T I N G W H A T G R E W I N T O R E N E W O U R R I V E R S .
