If you've ever had the opportunity to visit Lake Tahoe, you likely walked away from their thinking that is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Perhaps that is why it is so surprising that a scuba dive team has been picking up trash on a Lake Tahoe for the past year and they pulled out 12 tons so far!

The nonprofit organization, the Clean Up The Lake SCUBA dive team, begin its mission on May 14, 2021. They wanted to cover the 72 miles of Lake Tahoe Shoreline and they recently completed the project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

According to the Tahoe Fund, Colin West, the founder and director of the team, said:

"Over the past year, despite winter weather, Covid and wildfire related challenges, our dive team has been in the water at every opportunity to complete this unforgettable effort."

"While the dive team has removed many expected and unexpected items along the way, ultimately what we hope people remember is the length that one group of individuals was willing to go to in order to protect their home and their planet, and in turn people should ask themselves how they are choosing to contribute to preserving our environment today."

Photo: Pixabay/joakant

When all was said and done, they pulled up 24,797 pieces of litter. The total weight was 25,281 pounds.

Some of the common things that they pulled out of the lake were plastic bottles and cans. They also pulled out some other interesting items, including a Nikon film camera, engagement rings, lampposts, signs telling people not to litter, engine blocks, phones, wallets, and much more.

Photo: PIXNIO

Although they are done with the work, for now, they are looking forward to getting started on four other lakes this year. Hopefully, they will be able to complete those lakes quickly and leave us with a beautiful place to visit.