Volunteers from Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU), NewsChannel 9 and WaterWays removed 514.8 pounds of litter from Spring Creek in East Ridge as part of the Tennessee River Rescue, the longest-running cleanup effort in the Tennessee River Basin.
On Sept. 30, volunteers gathered behind a shopping center along South Terrace, where WaterWays provided gloves, waders and trash grabbers. Over two hours, they removed debris from the Spring Creek litter boom, a device designed to catch floating trash before it travels downstream.
“This is all litter that would have gone further downstream into the Tennessee River and started breaking down,” said Brooke Fleeman, director of operations at WaterWays. “It feels really good to intercept so much trash out of the boom and keep it out of our waterways.”
The 514.8 pounds of collected debris included beverage cans and bottles, foam, sports equipment, a shopping cart and part of a sofa.
Throughout 2026, TVFCU has sponsored the “Clean Currents Monthly Challenge” on NewsChannel 9, encouraging viewers to take small actions to protect local waterways. The initiative aligns with TVFCU’s vision of creating “a home for all of us” in the Tennessee Valley.
“You can talk about this problem of pollution in our river as an abstract concept,” said Amber Doolittle, community outreach liaison at TVFCU. “But when you actually get out here and get down and dirty in the water and start pulling things out, you realize that this is an actual problem and there are actual, achievable things that every person can do to help.”
The Spring Creek site was one of dozens of cleanup sites along the Tennessee River. In 2025, more than 1,500 volunteers removed more than 58,600 pounds of trash during the Tennessee River Rescue.
To learn more about the Tennessee River Rescue or find ways to get involved, visit tennesseeriverrescue.org.
About Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union
Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU), a not-for-profit financial cooperative, was established in 1936 when 57 Chattanooga TVA employees pooled $500 to create the member-owned credit union. Today, TVFCU serves more than 180,000 members who live, work, worship, volunteer or attend school throughout the 17-county service community. With more than $3.2 billion in assets and 29 branches throughout the area, TVFCU is the largest credit union in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. For more information about TVFCU, please visit tvfcu.com.
