HAPPY october!
Pollution is scary.
Tennessee Riverkeeper cannot fight these frightening issues without you!
5,008 POUNDS OF TRASH REMOVED IN OCTOBER!
Tennessee Riverkeeper cleanups removed more than 5,008 pounds of trash in October. 43 people attended cleanups in October. 26 tires were removed this month. 🛞 💪
11,448 pounds of trash removed from waterways by Tennessee Riverkeeper in 2026. 🌎
3,995 pounds of trash was removed from the Cumberland River in West Nashville on Sunday, October 25, 2026!
This is the most pounds of trash removed from the organization’s cleanups this year. Thank you Locust Tree Cove and Nature Add Nurture for tremendous support!
17 people attended the cleanup and removed 24 tires and 37 large bags of trash as well as one kids car, and lots of heavy debris. Most of the waste removed was plastic bottles and styrofoam.
The Tennessee Titans were playing at home during this cleanup when they could have been cleaning up the Cumberland with us, better using their time.
1,013 pounds of trash was removed from Huntsville and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Sunday, October 11, 2026!
Tennessee Riverkeeper, The Orion Amphitheater, and Model Environment removed a half ton of garbage from McDonald Creek and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. McDonald Creek is a tributary of the Tennessee River.
Twenty-six people attended and removed 42 bags of trash, as well as large debris including 2 tires, and other large wood and metal debris.
“There is no easy solution to plastic pollution. We do know that preventing plastics from entering waterways is an obvious solution and it is easier to remove garbage from the shorelines and shallow water of creeks and rivers. It is very difficult and inefficient to try to remove trash once it sinks into deeper water,” said David Whiteside, of Tennessee Riverkeeper.
“We’re proud to partner with Tennessee Riverkeeper to help clean up the Cumberland River. Keeping our waterways clean is essential to the health of our community, our ecosystems, and future generations,” said Houston Herbert, Owner and Proprietor of Locust Tree Cove, a small business operating on that part of the river.
Delaney Royer of Nature Add Nurture said: “This is our fifth time doing a large Cumberland River cleanup. We can’t wait to do more. More hands make less work stays true when it comes to these cleanups. It is incredible the difference a few people can make in a short time. If this cleanup taught me one thing, it is to never use styrofoam again.”
RECENT ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES
TENNESSEE: Tennessee Data Centers and Wetlands: Where Tennessee Candidates Stand on The Environment
ALABAMA: Alabama Candidates Spar Over Data Centers
NATIONAL: Data Center Health Worries Animate Midterm Concerns
GLOBAL: Vatican Develops Concept of "Ecological Sin" In Spiritual Salvo on the Environment
WHAT'S IN HUNTSVILLE'S DRINKING WATER?
Some Huntsville residents say their water tastes different. Huntsville Utilities explains what’s behind the change and why it is not related to the PFAS lawsuit.
This video has more than 100,000 views across social media platforms.
LEGAL DOCKET
ALEXANDRIA, TN: T.ennessee Riverkeeper litigation is proceeding at this point. The town has exceeded its discharge limitations, mostly for nitrogen and phosphorous. The town’s sewage treatment plant discharges into Hickman Creek, which is a tributary of Caney Fork and the Cumberland River. The suit is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, case number: 2:26-cv-00032.
KINGSTON SPRINGS, TN: Tennessee Riverkeeper has settled this case and are working on finalizing with the Court. The Kingston Springs Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has had 1,099 days of Clean Water Act violations from July 2021 to April 2024, including overflows of raw sewage. The Harpeth River is a Tennessee treasure, highly used for boating, swimming and fishing. This section of the Harpeth has boat access and is a point of entry for the Blueway canoe and kayak trail. The suit was filed October 16, 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Tennessee, case number: 3:24-cv-01241 .
SPRING HILL, TN: On September 11, 2025, Tennessee Riverkeeper brought suit against Spring Hill under the Clean Water Act for permit limitation exceedances. The Court recently denied the City’s Motion to Dismiss and the case will proceed. The suit is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, case number: 1:25-cv-00074.
This is a citizen’s suit, brought pursuant to the provisions of Section 505(a)(1) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act (hereinafter “CWA”), as amended, 33 U.S.C. § 1365(a)(1), to address violations of the CWA by Defendant, City of Spring Hill, Tennessee (“Spring Hill” or “the City”) arising out of illegal discharges of pollutants from the Spring Hill Sewage Treatment Plant (“STP”) at Spring Hill, Maury County, Tennessee.
Defendant Spring Hill is in violation of sections 301 and 402 of the CWA (33 U.S.C. §§1311 and 1342) and sections 122.1 et sec of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These laws require that no facility shall discharge pollutants to waters of the United States or waters of the state except as authorized by a permit issued pursuant to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”).
SKY NASHVILLE (TN): Stay tuned for new updates...
NEW CASES IN DEVELOPMENT...
JACK JOHNSON IS MATCHING YOUR DONATION!
Thank you Kim and Jack Johnson and the All At Once Foundation!
ANNIE BOSKO FOR TENNESSEE RIVERKEEPER
Annie Bosko recently filmed a public service announcement for Tennessee Riverkeeper backstage at The Orion Amphitheater. Thank you Annie and The Orion!
MORE CLEANUPS COMING SOON!
Stay tuned to social media and emails for details about cleanups coming soon in your area. As the weather gets cooler and summer vacations come to their end, we will be ramping up our cleanups again.
November TBD ~ one more in Nashville (limited capacity).
Sunday, December 6, 2026 ~ Ditto Landing Marina, Huntsville, AL
Cumberland Cleanup Poster below by Delaney Royer.
Follow us on social media for more updates.
OCTOBER CLEANUP HIGHLIGHT REEL
DATA CENTERS COMING TO TENNESSEE AND ALABAMA
AI data centers are being proposed all over Tennessee and Alabama. Citizens are concerned about water usage, power rates, noise, and other issues.
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