BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Communities around the world are marking Earth Day, and this year’s theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” is inspiring action on a local level.

More than 10,000 events are taking place globally. In western North Carolina, volunteers are doing their part by helping clean up the French Broad River.

Buncombe County Parks and Recreation partnered with MountainTrue to target a stretch of the river from Hominy Creek River Park to the Craven Street Bridge. The effort brought together more than 25 volunteers, who took to the water in 13 canoes provided by MountainTrue, a nonprofit focused on protecting clean water and healthy communities.

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Participants spent hours removing debris from the river, including tires.

“The French Broad is one of our great resources we have, and we want people both residents and visitors alike to enjoy the river and if we can make it a little cleaner, that’s always a good thing,” said Liz Hoekwater with Buncombe County Parks and Recreation.

Hoekwater said much of what crews are currently finding is smaller debris, noting that larger items have already been cleared in previous efforts.

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“A lot of it is going to be smaller trash, I think, that ends up in the river from runoff and blowing wind, that type of thing. I don’t think we’re going to see a lot of bigger trash. I think a lot of that’s been taken out,” Hoekwater said. “There’s not a lot of pipe in this section of rive like there is downstream.”

MountainTrue said cleanup efforts have been ongoing since Hurricane Helene, with crews focusing heavily on removing larger debris left behind by flooding. The organization said the health of the French Broad River is also tied to the region’s economy.

“There are a lot of companies who run trips throughout the summer from tubing and kayaking, so it’s an important economic impact for Asheville and Buncombe County,” Hoekwater said.

Since early 2025, MountainTrue reports more than 100 tons of storm-related debris have been removed from the French Broad River.