How more than 1,000 volunteers helped clean up Lake Lanier

More than 1,000 volunteers gathered along the shore of Lake Lanier to help keep Forsyth, Hall and Dawson counties beautiful.

The 36th annual Lake Lanier Association Shore Sweep was held Saturday, Sept. 21, spanning 14 key locations along 672 miles of shoreline. Together, more than 1,000 volunteers collected trash and debris from around and within the lake.

Lake Lanier Association Board of Directors member Matt Williams was stationed early in the morning at the Shore Sweep’s Port Royale location in Forsyth County.

“This lake has one of the busiest visitor populations in the country, at 12 million per year,” said Williams. “Of course, they bring their fair share of trash, and somehow we’ve got to get that trash out of here.”

Williams said the annual Shore Sweep takes eight weeks of careful planning to accomplish, with collaboration of three counties and many private sponsors. However, he says their hard work consistently pays off.

According to Williams, it is common for volunteers to remove 80 to 90 tons of trash from Lake Lanier each year, including television sets, broken boat parts and large rectangular floats that break away from docks.

“One of those [floats] will weigh between 600 and 800 pounds apiece, because they’re water-logged,” said Williams. “They’re junk now.”

Among the volunteers was the newly formed East Forsyth High School Key Club, founded by student Olivia Kowalewski.

Between students and parents, the East Forsyth Key Club brought 23 people together at Two Mile Creek Park to collect litter along the trails and on the beaches.

“I started this club because I wanted to make a lasting difference at East [Forsyth],” said Kowalewski. “There’s a lot of community service and clubs like that at the school, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for personal growth.”

To learn more about the Lake Lanier Association and how you can get involved, visit www.lakelanier.org.

The East Forsyth High School Key Club picked up trash at Two Mile Creek Park to help with the 36th annual Shore Sweep at Lake Lanier on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. – photo by Daniel Dotson

Volunteers in boats offload trash collected during the 36th annual Shore Sweep at Lake Lanier on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. – photo by Daniel Dotson