Keep Tahoe Blue: Team Of Divers Collect 8,000 Pounds Of Trash In 25 Days

TAHOE (CBS13) – The effort to Keep Tahoe Blue is going to great depths, literally. A team of divers has completed about 20 miles of trash collecting beneath the water.

Beneath the pristine blue waters of Lake Tahoe lies years of waste—items like aluminum cans, plastic bottles, kids toys, walkmans and FM radios, and even pieces of boats.

In an underwater project that started back in May, a team of scuba divers led by the non-profit Clean Up The Lake is making their way around the lake's 72-mile perimeter.

Divers made a splash with a big milestone this week, completing their first 22 miles along the east shore between Edgewood and Sand Harbor, so far collecting more than 8,000 pounds of trash in 25 days of diving.

"I hope the takeaway for everyone watching at home is, maybe you'll all be a little more careful when you're here enjoying the lake and that our trash, that we put it in an appropriate receptacle," said Matt Levitt, founder of Tahoe Blue Vodka.

These divers are using their skills to bring to the surface a different kind of invasive species in an effort to keep Lake Tahoe free of trash.

"I think we are making a tremendous impact together in rectifying the mistakes of our past," said Colin West, director and founder of Clean Up The Lake. "However, there is attention that's going to be needed moving forward, and I think we all want to work together moving forward to protect this gem of a lake that we have here in Tahoe for years to come."

The project was made possible through donations by Tahoe Blue Vodka, 135 Tahoe fund donors and other grants. The divers hope to complete the project by November 15.