Tennessee Riverkeeper removes over 1,000 pounds of trash from Sulphur Creek

Tennessee Riverkeeper removed approximately 1,208 pounds of trash from Sulphur Creek on July 8.

Sulphur Creek is a tributary of the Cumberland River, and the river's tributaries were often collection zones for litter.

Now, thanks to Tennessee Riverkeeper, it is much cleaner.

It was quite an adventure, as it turned out, getting a heavy appliance out of a creek, but we prevailed." said Barry Sulkin, scientist for Tennessee Riverkeeper, "This was a great use of my pickup with logging chains.

The most common trash items found were plastic, mostly polyethylene bottles and shopping bags. There was also a dishwasher and heavy metal debris that were left there by a previous landowner and a tornado.

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Now, throughout 2026, Tennessee Riverkeeper cleanups will prevent approximately 5,974 pounds of trash from entering our waterways.