The Smith River in Henry County offers picture perfect views that create a feast for the eyes.
But what lies beneath the surface is anything but pretty; in fact, it's downright ugly. There's trash, and lot's of it.
WDBJ7's Bryce Williams was on hand during a weekend cleanup organized by members of Trout Unlimited. They were enthusiastic as they rolled up their sleeves and for the 30-mile cleanup.
Now the community will be able to enjoy a river that's an important part of the local economy.
Instead of enjoying a relaxing Saturday, they brought their canoes, waders and plastic bags to pull all kinds of trash from the river. They made lots of progress.
We spoke with Joe Prater, who volunteers for Trout Unlimited. He showed us some of the junk pulled from the river. “This is a motor mount and a crank shaft from an automobile or some type of engine that is coming out of the Smith River today. This is just an example of some of the stuff we're taking out,” he said.
That's not all. They found tires and an assortment of metal and glass. Some of what they took from the the river required a lot of muscle power.
The river was mapped into 2 to 3 mile sections. Volunteers split into teams. They'll have the river in perfect condition for the Smith River Fest next week and they'll help the economy too since the river is a tourist attraction.
“It's the most important resource that we have, the waterways. We're cleaning it and the people downstream from here all way to the coast. This water goes all the way to Chesapeake. The people from Chesapeake are benefiting from this,” Prater continued.
Members of Trout Unlimited are very proud of the work they did this weekend.
The cleanup efforts won't stop with this event. They plan to partner with other organizations for future cleanups as well as tree planting and educational outreach programs.
The Bridgestone Tire Company removed tires pulled from the river free of charge. The typical cost for removal would be about $5 a tire.
