WORCESTER, Mass. - A small group of volunteers visited Blackstone Gateway Park Friday morning to kick off the 50th anniversary of the 'Zap the Blackstone' cleanup. 

Members of Upper Blackstone Clean Water helped to pick up litter at the park. They are commemorating the anniversary of when thousands of pounds of trash were removed from the river up and down the corridor. 

While the sediment is still contaminated for swimming, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor's Molly Cardoza said the river is in much better shape than it was in 1972.

"The Zap cleanup happened in 1972, 10,000 people pulled 10,000 tons of trash out of the Blackstone River," Cardoza said. "So we are celebrating that, commemorating that, by having clean ups all across the Blackstone Heritage Corridor. There are about five right here in Worcester. There's ten more happening across the Massachusetts section of the corridor which is Worcester to Providence and we are going to be having clean ups all over the place."

The corridor cleanup is tomorrow Saturday, August 27. Anyone who wants to participate can find out more information at zaptheblackstone.com.