River City Waterway Alliance (RCWA) is an all-volunteer group dedicated to cleaning, restoring and protecting the imperiled waterways of the Sacramento region. RCWA works in partnership with public agencies and community groups, raises awareness about environmental damage, attracts volunteers, and advocates for policies that provide abatement and restoration measures to improve the long-term ecological health and sustainability of our waterways.
Since RCWA’s inception in January 2023, RCWA has hosted 983 volunteer clean-up events which elicited 33,662 total volunteer hours and removed 3,680,000 pounds of trash and abandoned encampment debris from local waterways and adjacent riparian habitats (as of January 31, 2026). RCWA generally hosts 4 or 5 events per week, with a primary focus on Arcade Creek, Steelhead Creek, the Sacramento River and the American River Parkway. After three years of operations as a community group, RCWA became a legally registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization during January 2026.
The impactful work of RCWA has earned it several awards, including:
* “Beacon of Hope” Award from the Sacramento County District Attorney (2025)
* “Nonprofit of Distinction” Award from Sacramento Mayor, Kevin McCarty (2025)
* “Outstanding Environmental Leadership” Award from the Sacramento County Environmental Commission (2023)
* “Environmentalist of the Year” Award from the Environmental Council of Sacramento (2023)
RCWA is an all-volunteer group dedicated to cleaning, restoring and protecting the imperiled waterways of the Sacramento region.
The ecological health of the waterways in the Sacramento region is severely degraded by the accumulation of trash, debris and pathogenic waste that line our creek and river channels, banks, levees, and adjacent riparian habitats.
This problem is especially dire in Steelhead and Arcade Creeks, where an inordinate amount of trash and debris has literally armored the bottom of much of the creek channels, thereby depriving the substrate of oxygen and impeding aquatic life forms. The debris also forms impenetrable barriers to fish passage, especially important as Steelhead Creek is the only route for endangered Chinook Salmon to reach historical spawning grounds in the Dry Creek watershed. During October 2025, RCWA volunteers spent 3 days removing a dam from Steelhead Creek constructed of 48 interlocked shopping carts and 12,000 lbs of other encampment debris.
Trash accumulation in our waterways also compromises flood control because it impedes natural water flow and creates unnatural dams and diversions. Items such as textiles (rugs, clothing, sleeping bags), tarps, tents, mattresses, batteries, hypodermic needles, plastics, pallets, bicycles, Styrofoam containers, shopping carts, and electronics are typical items removed by RCWA volunteers. The source of this trash varies, but includes encampments, illegal dumping, and trash from stormwater outlets.
RCWA responds to and addresses these ecological harms by hosting several cleanup events each week to remove trash and invasive plant species from our local waterways. RCWA hosts 4 or 5 events EVERY WEEK, and removes an average of 3,893 pounds at EVERY EVENT. RCWA does this with an all-volunteer crew that uses hand tools and manual labor, and healthy doses of grit, determination, teamwork, and humility.
To that end, RCWA needs funds to support the purchase of tools such as ropes, sleds, cultivators, safety supplies, fuel to haul the dump trailer, liability insurance, refreshments for our hard-working volunteers, and other costs to implement and promote our events. At this time, RCWA also desperately needs funds to upgrade or replace the vehicle it uses to haul its trailer. Donations to RCWA will support these endeavors and allow RCWA to continue its unprecedented momentum.
The creeks and rivers of Sacramento connect local residents across diverse geographies, ethnicities, socioeconomic means, and neighborhoods. They also provide drinking water, recreational access, flood protection, and beauty for all to enjoy. Through its support of a myriad of waterway cleanup events and educational outreach activities, River City Waterway Alliance works to preserve, protect, restore and maintain waterways throughout Sacramento’s urban and natural areas to benefit all local residents. RCWA is dedicated to an internal culture that engages and welcomes board members and volunteers without discrimination on the basis of race, physical abilities, gender, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, or religion.
Organization name
River City Waterway Alliance
other names
RCWA
2023
Mission Category
Environment
Operating Budget
$0-$50,000
Organization Need
Funding: Program, Funding: Unrestricted
Local Counties Served
Sacramento
Address
2101 W STSacramento County, CA, US