Volunteers clean up in and around Lake Travis
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About 1,000 volunteers spent Sunday morning out at Lake Travis helping the environment.
Armed with a garbage bag, 10-year-old Raychel Johnson and her family were among those who showed up for the 16th annual Underwater and Shoreline cleanup.
"We shouldn't have to deal with it being messy, it's better for the environment if it's clean," Raychel said.
As they walked along the shoreline, their bags started to fill up with aluminum cans, bottles and other trash which littered the ground.
However, for Raychel it is not all work.
"I have my family with me, and it's fun. And I get to look at the lake and stuff," she said.
In this cleanup event, volunteers battle trash on two fronts. Scuba divers, like Matthew Andringa, head underwater to pick up where volunteers, like Raychel, leave off.
"I remember one year somebody actually pulled up a horse saddle. And you figure that that's been here before the lake was filled up, before the lake was made. Rather than falling off of somebody's boat," Andriga said.
Organizers said over the years the event and participation in the event has grown. They said this is the largest Underwater and Shoreline cleanup in Texas.
"Last year we collected 34 tons of trash, it's incredible, the lake levels were so low that we were able to access areas of the lake where we were unable to do so before," Erin Franz with the Colorado River Foundation said.
With the recent heavy rainfall, scuba divers anticipated a little more of a challenge this year.
"Obviously all the rain is washing a bunch of stuff into the lake, and stir everything up," Andriga said. "It might make it a little bit harder to see what we're looking for down there."
This year organizers expect to collect about five tons of debris, some of which will be recycled.
The event is made possible through a partnership between multiple organizations including the Colorado River Foundation, Keep Austin Beautiful, Travis County Parks and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).
To make the cleanup more interesting, organizers said prizes and awards are handed out at the end, including an award for the most unusual item found.