Copperas Cove joins regional waterway cleanup across Central Texas

Copperas Cove residents are being asked to meet at South Park from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, to help clean South Park and Heritage Park across the street as part of the first combined Regional Waterway Cleanup.

The city’s local site is one piece of a broader effort that also includes Belton, Gatesville, Harker Heights, Killeen, Lampasas, Nolanville, the Village of Salado and Fort Hood. The cleanup will focus on the Nolan Creek, Leon, Lampasas and Salado watersheds, putting Copperas Cove into a regional effort that reaches well beyond one park or one city block.

That matters because the waterways are connected. Trash left in a parking lot, along a roadway or in a drainage channel can move downstream, affecting neighboring communities, neighborhood appearances, recreation areas and the health of creeks and lakes. For Copperas Cove, the work at South Park and Heritage Park is also about keeping visible public spaces usable and reducing litter that can collect near storm drains and flood-prone areas.

The Cen-Tex Sustainable Communities Partnership, which announced the cleanup, describes itself as a forum for regional sustainability efforts meant to improve quality of life and economic vitality in Central Texas. Its members include Fort Cavazos and the cities of Belton, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Harker Heights, Killeen, Lampasas, Nolanville and Salado. The partnership has also promoted events such as Fort Cavazos Earth Day, Gatesville Earth Day, Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Eco Harvest, Nolanville Monarch Fest, Harker Heights Outdoor & Science Expo, Salado Porch & Planet Fest and Killeen GIS Day.

Texas Department of Transportation says litter prevention still has a long way to go. Its Don’t mess with Texas campaign has helped reduce litter since 1986, but the agency says about 362 million pieces of visible litter still pile up on Texas roads every year. TxDOT also says its 2024 Adopt-a-Highway Trash-Off collected about 84,080 pounds of trash from roughly 1,540 miles of state-maintained roadway, and that roadside litter can end up in streams.

Copperas Cove has already seen that local turnout can make a difference. Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful and city volunteers have previously gathered at South Park and Heritage Park for Keep Texas Waterways Clean work, including a spring cleanup that drew people to both parks. This regional event builds on that same habit of local stewardship, linking Copperas Cove’s parks to the watersheds that run through Central Texas.