VALDOSTA — Most elementary school students spend their time after school playing and enjoying downtime.

Saige Williams spent her time helping keep a section of the Withlacoochee River trash free.

Last year, Russell Allen McBride and Williams, his 11-year-old granddaughter, noticed a significant amount of trash flowing from Sugar Creek into the Withlacoochee River. Wanting to make a difference, they constructed a prototype trash trap called The Saige 150, using a 100-foot plastic pipe and 50 pool noodles, at a cost of just more than $100.

While their initial attempt proved partially successful, the trap was unable to handle the volume during heavy rainfalls. They sought help from District 6 Valdosta City Councilman Andy Gibbs.

“It worked OK but it could not handle the huge flow when big rains came. We reached out to Councilman Gibbs, (the creek) is in his district, for help to purchase a WaterGoat. The city bought it. Saige helped install it. The WaterGoat has to be cleaned after every rain event. For over a year this kid has been helping me clean it out. We save two 96 gallon cans of trash from reaching the river per month now,” McBride said.

The WaterGoat is a commercial-grade trash trap that acts as a trash barrier for streams, canals, ponds and lakes and plays a crucial role in keeping water bodies clean and free of debris. It has been deployed in 191 waterways since its inception in 2006.

With Williams’ help, the trap prevents two 96-gallon cans of trash from reaching the river each month. In an interview with The Valdosta Daily Times, she expressed her relief at being able to contribute to such a cause.

“I know that I’m helping with something really important. … Tell people what would really happen if we don’t take care of it. The more people that know about it and help out, the less trash we’ll have,” she said.

Williams emphasized the importance of informing people about the consequences of neglecting the issue, with the belief that increased awareness and collective efforts will result in a cleaner environment for residents and marine life as well.

“Most of the trash will get to our rivers and the rain will carry it to the oceans. We need to keep it away from turtles and fish; we need marine animals. They are beautiful and we shouldn’t destroy them. They have a purpose and we shouldn’t kill them with trash. One small piece of trash can turn into one big pile of trash really quick,” she said.

McBride and Williams’ mother, Steffannie Dennard, expressed pride with Williams dedication to the environment at such a young age.

“I run into families down there on a regular basis. One Air Force family said they would not have bought their house that backs up to the creek if it still looked like last year. (Saige) has learned so much about work ethic and community responsibilities,” McBride said.