CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — More than 5,000 volunteers have helped to reach a major milestone towards getting our currents cleaner: over 1 million pounds of trash was removed from the Tennessee River watershed since the organization launched in 2019.
The million-pound mark by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful was reached during an October 19th cleanup on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, part of the nonprofit’s 8th annual “Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month” campaign presented by TVA.
This year’s cleanup events spanned all seven states of the watershed and included eight scheduled shoreline cleanups. Volunteers removed a total of 30,627 pounds of trash during the October series alone.
“Though our mission is to educate and inspire others to take action, it’s our volunteers who actually inspire us every day,” said Kathleen Gibi, executive director of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. “This milestone shows what a difference community volunteers and partners can make for our river communities.
Since its first boat launched on the river, KTnRB has worked with 5,293 volunteers to remove 1,017,672 pounds of trash. Volunteers used work boats to reach river shorelines, and at some events, the national nonprofit Living Lands & Waters brought additional 30-foot boats to amplify the cleanup.
The milestone coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the 2015 Tennessee River Tour, a multi-state campaign that ultimately inspired the formation of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. Today, the organization is the first Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the nation focused solely on a river.
“Your river. Your impact,” Gibi said. “Whether aware of it or not, every action you take affects your watershed.”…