CULLMAN, Ala. – Volunteers will take to the water Friday, Sept. 18, to help remove litter and debris from Smith Lake during the fall Renew Our Rivers/SLEPC Smith Lake Cleanup.
The Smith Lake Environmental Preservation Committee and Alabama Power are organizing the cleanup, which will focus on shoreline areas around Simpson Creek, Ryan Creek and their tributaries.
Volunteers should meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Smith Lake Park boat launch, located at 403 County Road 386 in Cullman. Following sign-in and a safety briefing, organizers will load volunteers onto cleanup boats for the morning trip.
Crews will return to Smith Lake Park for a lunch break before heading back onto the water for an afternoon cleanup trip. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers.
Each volunteer will also receive an SLEPC Renew Our Rivers cleanup T-shirt. Shirts will be distributed at the conclusion of the cleanup.
Organizers said a registration link will be posted closer to the event. Prospective volunteers are encouraged to monitor SLEPC’s website and Facebook page for the link.
Advance registration helps organizers determine how many meals, shirts and cleanup supplies will be needed.
Volunteers should wear long pants and sturdy shoes or boots suitable for collecting trash along the shoreline. Sunscreen and insect repellent are also recommended.
Those interested in participating are encouraged to check with their employers to determine whether paid volunteer leave is available for community service projects.
The Cullman County cleanup is part of Alabama Power’s 2026 Renew Our Rivers schedule. Other Smith Lake cleanups are planned in Winston and Walker counties during September, creating a broader effort to remove debris from the lake and its tributaries.
SLEPC typically organizes Renew Our Rivers cleanups in the spring and fall. During a previous cleanup, volunteers traveled aboard Alabama Power boats to collect trash along Simpson Creek, Ryan Creek and nearby tributaries.
SLEPC Treasurer Margaret Hill told The Tribune ahead of a 2025 cleanup that volunteers can see the results of their work by the end of the day.
“What I love most about the event is seeing the massive piles of trash at the end of the day,” Hill said.
Hill said the collected debris represents waste that otherwise could have remained along the shoreline or entered the lake.
SLEPC was formed in 1995 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the water quality of Smith Lake and its tributaries through education, volunteer service and cooperation with public agencies and other organizations.
According to SLEPC, its Smith Lake cleanups conducted in partnership with Alabama Power and Renew Our Rivers have removed more than 6.2 million pounds of trash from the lake since 2000.
Renew Our Rivers began as an Alabama Power employee-led cleanup on the Coosa River in Gadsden. Now entering its 27th year, the program has grown into a statewide volunteer effort.
Alabama Power reported that more than 3,500 volunteers participated in 28 Renew Our Rivers events in 2025, removing approximately 243,000 pounds of trash. Since the program began, volunteers have removed approximately 13.7 million pounds of debris from Alabama waterways.
Registration information for the Sept. 18 cleanup will be posted at SLEPC.org and on SLEPC’s Facebook page when it becomes available.
For additional information, contact SLEPC Alabama Power liaison and lake cleanup coordinator Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981.
