LOUDON, Tenn., March 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tellico Village residents were among the more than 350 East Tennesseans who participated in a long tradition of keeping the shorelines of the Tellico Reservoir Watershed clean.
Each spring for the past 15 years, members of the Loudon County, Tennessee community have risen early on a March Saturday morning to pick up trash and debris from the shores of the lake.
The project is a partnership between those who live around Tellico Lake, led by the Watershed Association of Tellico Reservoir (WATeR) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The cleanup is done prior to TVA raising water levels in order to reduce the amount of garbage introduced to the Tennessee River via the watershed.
"Any foreign material that is thrown out or dumped out can affect habitats for plants and animals," said Darrell Cuthbertson of TVA. "It can also affect the animals themselves and certainly can affect the water supply."
This year saw renewed interest in the project, with participants ranging from local high school students to lakeside residents, to Max A. Pooch the litter dog. An estimated eight tons of trash, tires and other debris was collected from the lakeshores and surrounding area.
"It's kind of like a spring cleaning before the water comes up," said Bill Webster, WATeR project leader and Tellico Village resident. "The volunteers that do this do it year after year because they want to make sure the lake stays clean and a good place to live."
Tellico Village is known for its active volunteer community and scenic, lakeside location.
About Tellico Village
Tellico Village is a planned, active adult community established in 1986, located in Loudon County and Monroe County, Tennessee. It encompasses nearly 5,000 acres along Tellico Lake with the community continuing to grow thanks to the variety of recreational amenities available and the friendliness of nearly 7,000 residents. For more information visit www.tellicovillage.org.
CONTACT
Louise Elliott
[email protected]
865.934.6492
Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/TELLICO-Watershed-Clean-Up.mp4
SOURCE Tellico Village
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