Lake Hartwell debuts new litter collection boat

LAKE HARTWELL, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate nonprofit has a new tool to keep waterways clean for boaters and wildlife.

Lake Hartwell Partners for Clean Water said litter costs the U.S. $11 billion a year.

“Through the Lake Hartwell Partners for Clean Water, we have one to two clean ups a year. We’ve had 543 participants to assist with our clean ups and through those participants we’ve cleaned up a total of 16,644 pounds of litter,” said Raymond Felton, park manager at Saddler’s Creek State Park.

The nonprofit said they are finding tires, plastic bottles, glass and aluminum cans both in and around the lake.

Litter can severely impact wildlife and release microplastics and other contaminants into the water.

“The birds, turtles and fish will ingest those materials and plastics and that is very detrimental for them, they can die from that,” said Felton.

“I had volunteers that came up to us and said a vacuum cleaner, they found a microwave, they saw a boat sized refrigerator on the island. When I heard that, it really upset me because the lake means so much to me,” said Jill Chapman with the nonprofit.

The “Trash Tank” is a special boat that allows volunteers to collect and remove litter from the water, but the issue is how the litter got there in the first place.

“If we can bring our attention to people and you come and you enjoy our lake — or if you’re close by and this is your water resource please consider that if you’re polluting it, you’re hurting yourself and if you’re going to draw from something for enjoyment then you need to respect it by protecting it and not littering,” said Chapman.

Lake Hartwell has numerous visitors every year, especially for Bassmaster fishing tournaments.

With the help of the Trash Tank and visitors doing their part to keep the lake clean, leaders are hoping for a healthier ecosystem.

“It’s important to keep Lake Hartwell clean for everyone because that’s our water supply,” Chapman continued. “We have so many different water stations that pull from Lake Hartwell, that’s how we’re able to survive. If we don’t have a water supply, then we’re all in trouble.”

Lake Hartwell Partners of Clean Water said they are planning to have a second Trash Tank for the Georgia area next year.

Leaders are hosting a “ Splash Away the Trash ” event Saturday, September 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.

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