AUSTIN, Texas — Divers and volunteers were out on the lake on Sept. 11 for the 28th annual Lake Travis cleanup.
With summer winding down, divers said there is a lot of trash sitting at the bottom of the lake. Hundreds of volunteers were at the event on Sunday. They said it's important work that needs to be done because Lake Travis supplies drinking water to Austin.
"Lake Travis is a treasure to Austin, just like Zilker Park, and you see folks wouldn't walk around Zilker Park and throw trash on the ground but they do come out here to the lake and sink their cans, sink their bottles, so we go out there and pick up as much as we can," said Matt Jacobs, an instructor at Dive World Austin.
The Colorado River Alliance said that a total of 504 volunteers participated and removed 193 bags of trash from the lake, shoreline and surrounding Travis County parks. Altogether, the volunteers donated about 1,500 hours of service during the event.
Volunteers pulled a variety of items from the lake, from cans to anchors.
"Matt picked up a fishing reel and we had a few anchors that were brought up as well. So it's just making an impact on the lake and the environment and everything we've got that is falling off boats or accidentally makes its way into Lake Travis," said Nikki Abbott-Nader, who is also a dive instructor at Dive World Austin.
Executive Director of the Colorado River Alliance Adrienne Longenecker visited multiple sites throughout the day.
“A healthy, flowing Texas Colorado River is imperative to the well-being of millions of people throughout the river basin. Big volunteer days like the Lake Travis Cleanup are a great way to remind folks that Lake Travis is part of the river system - we are all connected via the River," she said.
Organizers of the cleanup said it's the biggest underwater cleanup in Texas. It started in 1994 as an informal gathering of divers in the area who turned their recreational diving efforts into a small-scale cleanup.
PHOTOS: 28th annual Lake Travis cleanup
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: