34 tons of debris cleaned out of Smith Mountain Lake during cleanup days

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, Va. ( WFXR )– Organizers with Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake ( TPISML ) cleanup days report more than 34 tons of debris were removed from the blackwater during the event in 2024.

As in prior years, the TPISML committee relied on communities, homeowners, and property to clean up their coves, along the shoreline, on the water or both. The cleanup days also encouraged

According to a report, volunteers covered more than 31 miles of shoreline and hauled off a vast amount of loose debris. Items included plastic and glass bottles, beverage cans, plastic bags, food wrappers, a push broom, a tackle box, a plastic chair, a canoe, logs, and tree branches.

“The health, beauty and safety of Smith Mountain Lake rely heavily on our annual cleanup days,” said SMLA President Bill Butterfield. “We are incredibly thankful for the amazing volunteers and generous sponsors who make Take Pride in SML such a success each year.”

One of the event’s organizers, Kristinia Sage, said the amount collected throughout the month of May nearly tripled what was gathered in 2023.

“The event’s main day, May 4th, was chilly and rainy so we were thrilled with the turnout,” said Sage, executive director of the Tri-County Lakes Administrative Commission (TLAC), which organizes the program in collaboration with the Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA) and the SML Regional Chamber of Commerce (SMLRCC). “With the help of 336 volunteers, we collected an estimated 900 trash bags of debris that would have otherwise remained in or ended up in the lake.”

For more information on TLPSML, visit their website .

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