Volunteers cleanup trash exposed by drought at Falls Lake ahead of Fourth of July weekend

As people prepare to spend the Fourth of July weekend at Falls Lake, volunteers gathered Wednesday to clean up trash exposed by the ongoing drought.

Lower lake levels have revealed debris that is normally hidden beneath the water along the shoreline.

The cleanup started with a post on Reddit and quickly grew into a community effort. Volunteers spent the day filling bags with trash and hauling debris away from the shoreline.

“When you have a ton of people enjoying the lake, there’s obviously going to be some trash left behind,” Ted Briggs said.

Mark Echevarria said the cleanup was also an opportunity to bring people together.

“I think opportunities like this are really important for the community-building aspect. It’s really wonderful to meet people from different walks of life,” Echevarria said.

With hot, dry weather expected to continue, the cleaner shoreline is likely to remain visible for the foreseeable future.