KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's waterways may look a little clearer now, after volunteers with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful picked up around 15,700 pounds of trash from two cleanup events in East Tennessee.
On March 20, 41 volunteers in Roane County picked up 9,426 pounds of trash from Watts Bar Lake. They ended up filling 248 bags of trash after finding 45 tires, two tube televisions, a large battery, two steel drums and an abandoned boat.
Then, on March 21, 17 volunteers gathered to remove 6,286 pounds of trash from Fort Loudoun Lake in the Knoxville and Louisville areas. They filled 154 bags of trash and found a port-a-john, a stove, a washing machine and an HVAC unit during their cleanup.
The cleanups were part of the 'Tennessee River Gland Slam Cleanup Series,' which kicked off on March 20. The series has become an annual tradition for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful and works with a national nonprofit, Living Lands and Waters, which brought five 30-foot workboats to help with the cleanup.
The next cleanup event will be on the April 9 weekend, starting at Pickwick Lake in Hardin County. On April 10, volunteers will also pick up trash at Wilson Lake. Anyone who wants to participate can register online.
"Thank you to all for the amazing cleanups this weekend," officials said. "You inspire us and we're grateful to work with each of you!"
