Receding Water Revealing Big Mess Along American River Parkway

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The American River Parkway is preparing for a massive cleanup operation as floodwaters recede and leave a big mess behind.

It's not only piles of debris along the river. It's garbage from homeless camps now washing along the shore, revealing some trashy trails.

"It's awful. Ice chests. Garbage bags. Logs floating down the river. Lots of debris. It's really bad," said a jogger.

Sacramento County park officials say when the rain stopped, the river level started receding, making way for the filth and debris. Flows into the river are dropping from 85,000 cfs to 5,000 cfs, leaving behind anything swept off the riverbanks by higher water.

It's not clear how long the cleanup will take, bu the county says it has approval to double its cleanup team for next week when the soil is drier and it's safer for heavy-duty equipment to enter.