Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful® (KTnRB) recently launched the River ROVer™, an innovative cleanup initiative that removes floating litter and debris from waterways throughout the Tennessee River watershed. With support from Yamaha Rightwaters and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), KTnRB combines remote-operated debris collection technology with a specially engineered vessel to expand cleanup efforts near dams and to educate communities about the far-reaching impacts of waterway pollution.
Project leaders launched the program on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with a demo cleanup at Volunteer Landing, according to the organization, a downtown riverfront park in Knoxville, Tenn. near the headwaters of the Tennessee River.
River ROVer Addresses Environmental Challenges
The River ROVer addresses a larger environmental challenge: litter that enters local waterways doesn’t necessarily stay there. Stormwater runoff carries trash from streets and neighborhoods into nearby creeks, lakes and rivers, where currents can transport debris across county and state lines. KTnRB states that litter originating in the Tennessee River watershed can eventually travel through the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, contributing to marine debris pollution as far away as the Gulf.
By bringing together KTnRB’s conservation expertise, Yamaha’s marine engineering capabilities and TVA’s operational and financial support, the River ROVer takes a collaborative approach to protecting the Tennessee River watershed while encouraging communities to prevent litter before it reaches the water…