Riversweep Volunteers Set Record
The 9th Annual Lake Wylie Riversweep, organized by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and Lake Wylie Covekeepers, set new records for the number of volunteers. Althouth the amount of trash collected was slightly less than last year, this might be a sign that there is less trash in the lake.
Riversweep Volunteers
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2010
Contact: Ellen Goff
704-258-5904
LAKE WYLIE, SC, October 2, 2010 –
The weather forecast and cool temperatures were the first signs that Riversweep was going to be a record breaker. With more than 900 registered volunteers, this year’s clean up event on Lake Wylie drew more participants than the last three Riversweeps combined.
The amount of trash collected topped a whopping 28 tons, slightly under the 31 tons collected last year. 
“You can look at these numbers a think that more people are caring about the lake and the environment – and that our call is being heard to stop litter and pollution from finding ways into the lake,” said C.D. Collins, Lake Wylie Covekeeper and retired board member of Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. “I see it as a very promising direction.”
This year there were 11 volunteer sites around the lake, 2 more than 2009, offering volunteers easier, more convenient access to the shoreline and to pontoon boats that ferried groups from one clean up area to another. The northern end of the lake, from the Mountain Island dam to the South Fork, had a significant increase in volunteers due to area organizing by the Lake Wylie Marine Commission, co-sponsors of the event with Lake Wylie Covekeepers.
“We achieved a new level of success today for one reason: people love this body of water and want to take action to care for it,” said Lake Wylie Lakekeeper Ellen Goff. “They came out this morning and gave their time, their energy and numerous resources to remove trash, debris, liter and junk from the lake. These volunteers are devoted to Lake Wylie and are passionate about keeping it healthy.”
After 4 hours of trash collecting and hauling, by boat and by truck, volunteers converged on the after party, where lunch was waiting at the Buster Boyd Access Area in Lake Wylie next to T-Bone’s on the Lake. After a Grand Prize drawing was held for registered participants, several hundred of the Riversweep workforce along with friends and visitors, enjoyed the sunny afternoon with live music while strolling among 21 distinctive cars from Lake Wylie Car Club. There were also displays from Catawba Riverkeeper, York County Environmental Compliance and Adopt-A-Stream program and the county’s Keep York County Beautiful recycling and Adopt-A-Highway programs.
