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Press Released Shared on Friday, October 24th 2025                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Lake Lanier Association’s Shore Sweep Event Broke Records

GAINESVILLE, Ga, Oct. 24, 2025 – On a sunny September morning, the 37th annual Shore Sweep cleanup event on Lake Lanier set a new record. At the hands of over 1,200 volunteers, 128 tons of trash and debris was removed from Lake Lanier, breaking the previous Shore Sweep record of 90 tons. 

Shore Sweep, hosted by the Lake Lanier Association, is the one and only large-scale, annual volunteer cleanup event for the shoreline and waters of Lake Lanier in North Georgia. Volunteers brought trash to 16 sites all around the lake for the main day-of event on Saturday, September 20, 2025. For those who couldn’t attend that Saturday, eight advance sites were open longer than ever before, allowing for volunteers to clean up in their own time. 

This year, for the first time ever, larger pieces of trash were removed with ease, thanks to the marine contractors that showed their support with barges and flotillas. Some of these bigger pieces included a sunken sail boat, a burned out hull of a boat, an abandoned piece of a dock and hundreds of black encapsulated dock floats. 

Volunteer groups flocked to the shores of the lake to help with this cleanup, many coming from local businesses, schools, fishing clubs and various other organizations. Participants cleaned by boats, jet skis and kayaks on the water, as well as walkers who spread out all over the 692 miles of shoreline on Lake Lanier.

“Shore Sweep is not only a labor of love for those who live or boat on Lake Lanier, but it is essential to the communities that depend on the water basin for clean, drinking water,” said Victoria Clevenger, LLA Executive Director. “It’s pretty incredible to see people from all walks of life come together to share one goal – cleaning up Lake Lanier.”

Throughout the past 37 years of Shore Sweep cleanups, a total of 2.58 million pounds of trash have been removed from Lake Lanier. 

To learn more about Shore Sweep, please visit lakelanier.org/shore-sweep/.

 

Additional Resources:

Click here to access the Shore Sweep 2025 media kit.

Watch the Shore Sweep 2025 Recap Video on YouTube here.

 

About:

Lake Lanier Association’s mission is to protect Lake Lanier and its watershed ensuring a clean, full and safe Lake Lanier that enhances the lake’s economic value to Georgia. The association strives to preserve the quality and quantity of the water for all users who rely on the lake and its watershed to enhance their quality of life.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Lake Lanier Association seeks to fulfill its mandate of protecting the quality and quantity of Lake Lanier through education, action and advocacy.

To learn more about the Lake Lanier Association view our short video here with current initiatives.

 

Media Contact:

Victoria Clevenger, Executive Director

770-744-4547

victoria@lakelanier.org