INDIAN RIVER -- A dive team swam to the bottom of the Indian River today to remove trash that's been building-up for decades. This effort was part of the annual "Big Splash event" put on by local volunteers.
Nine divers dove to the floor of the river today in search of trash. They found a treasure trove of bottles, cans, tires and other various car parts. Some of the trash found has been there for almost a hundred years.
"Back in the old days they would dump stuff in the water because I don't think they had the environmental concerns that we do today," organizer Randy Stewart explained.
Stewart first organized the event four years ago. His goal was to clean up the Indian River with the help of the community. The Cheboygan County Sherriff's department stepped right in to help keep the waters clean.
"People just don't realize the water we have in this state and how lucky we are and its so important to make sure that they carry a garbage bag with them and they keep the garbage in there boats and don't let it go in the water," Cheboygan County Marine Chief Al May said.
Thursday's dive only cleaned up a small portion of the river.
"There's a lot of trash on the bottom that needs to be brought up, and that's what were here for and that's what were doing," Stewart said.
Trash or treasure, the items on this boat will be heading to a better place than the river.
