Braving frigid conditions, volunteers and divers cleared debris from the Hillsborough River.
TAMPA, Fla. — Despite a winter-like chill, dozens of divers and volunteers spent hours in and around the Hillsborough River Tuesday morning, removing trash and large debris during an annual cleanup aimed at protecting one of Tampa’s most important waterways.
Scuba divers with the Tampa Police Department Dive Team partnered with the City of Tampa’s Green Team and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, braving air temperatures in the 40s and murky river conditions to search for trash beneath the surface.
“It’s a little chilly, but we’re used to it,” said Detective Josh Kennedy with the Tampa Police Dive Team. “We dive in this all the time.”
Kennedy said visibility in the river was extremely limited, forcing divers to rely on touch rather than sight.
“The visibility was really difficult to deal with because of the soot that was down there,” Kennedy said. “So, we could only see about a foot or so.”
Divers remained in the water for nearly two hours, pulling out smaller debris such as beer cans, beads, and plastic — along with much larger items. Those finds included electric scooters, a bicycle, construction cones, tables and chairs, and other heavy debris.
Ben Ha with the City of Tampa Green Team said many of the larger items appear to be intentionally discarded.
“I would say, probably happens, unfortunately, when they are under the influence,” Ha said.
Back on shore, volunteers carefully sorted through the recovered items, checking for wildlife that may have attached itself while submerged. Any living creatures found were returned to the river.
“Junk out, and any living species back to its natural habitat,” said Green Team member Jamie Quillen.
The large dive-team presence initially alarmed some visitors in the area, but those concerns faded once people learned what was taking place.
“I think that’s pretty awesome that they do that,” said visitor Kim Redick. “And I think that’s why the city is so beautiful.”
Organizers said this year’s cleanup resulted in less trash pulled from the river compared to previous years — something they see as an encouraging sign.
“I’m glad to see that as years have gone by, it’s gotten way better,” Ha said. “As far as first getting 100 scooters — it’s progressively gotten way better as we’ve done this every single year.”
Organizers say the sharp drop in scooters found in the river may be tied to stricter enforcement and fines by rental companies for improperly returned devices — a change they believe is helping keep Tampa’s waterways cleaner.
All recovered items will be documented before being properly disposed of.
Organizers say the annual deep-water cleanup typically occurs a couple of weeks after Gasparilla.
In the meantime, the City of Tampa Green Team and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful hold monthly surface cleanups and are always looking for volunteers.