Wheeler Lake Cleanup: The Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful cleanup series is heading to Alabama, providing an opportunity for volunteers to enhance the beauty of Wheeler Lake in Decatur on Sunday, October 29. As the second-largest lake on the Tennessee River in northern Alabama, Wheeler Lake is a key focus for this cleanup effort.
Organized by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, the cleanup aims to celebrate and safeguard the significance of the river, generating $12 billion annually. Kathleen Gibi, the Executive Director of the nonprofit, emphasized the primary goal of removing trash to preserve the river, a crucial source of drinking water and habitat for local wildlife.
“Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month is just a way to celebrate this river. That is really the reason we’re all here. All of our towns were founded along the river watershed. We actually live along the most biodiverse river system in North America,” Gibi highlighted. “We’ve got 230 species of fish just in our river system. And for comparison, that’s double the width on the Mississippi River. Yet, the Mississippi River is more than three times longer than the Tennessee. So, it’s a really special and important river,” she added.
This October, four cleanups are planned across the river watershed, including locations in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Last year, the nonprofit removed almost 32,000 pounds of litter in October, and with growing volunteer participation each year, they have set a specific goal for 2023.
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“Since we existed, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful has removed almost 600,000 pounds of trash. We’re about 25,000 pounds shy of that right now. So, our goal this month is for volunteers to help us nudge past that milestone,” Gibi explained.
For the cleanup at Wheeler Lake, the organization is hoping for 60 volunteers. Volunteers need to sign up online, fill out the waiver upon registration, and then simply show up on the cleanup day. All necessary cleanup supplies, life vests, and a safety speech are provided, allowing volunteers to have a fulfilling experience on the lake.
Participants clean coded areas and move on to new sections until the entire cleanup is completed. The visible impact is significant, with a trash truck collecting the debris, showcasing the tangible difference made by the volunteers.
Beyond volunteering, individuals can adopt river miles, committing to clean up debris whenever they encounter it. The goal is to reach 150,000 pounds of trash removed by adopters. The “Pledge for Rivers” program encourages people to reduce waste by making pledges such as eliminating plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups, plastic straws, disposable lighters, or plastic bags from their daily routines for a year.
Governors and mayors have proclaimed October as Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month, with ongoing efforts to involve local communities in the celebration. Gibi encourages those interested to engage with their elected officials to declare proclamations for their areas, providing a guide on the organization’s website.
It’s a collective effort to preserve the natural beauty of the Tennessee River and its surroundings, ensuring a sustainable and clean environment for generations to come.
Our Reader’s Queries
How clean is Wheeler Lake?
The ecological health rating for Wheeler Reservoir in 2021 was deemed “fair”. In previous years, the reservoir was rated as “good” or “fair”, except for in 2007 and 2011 when it received a “poor” rating.
Is the water quality in Wheeler Lake?
Wheeler Lake has consistently maintained excellent water quality, as confirmed by extensive data analysis. Despite the passage of several decades, the stability of its quality remains evident when comparing a single sample from 1976 to numerous samples collected from 1986 to 2020.