Three Agencies, Dive Volunteers Cleaning Hillsborough River News General, News Mayor Office, News Sustainability & Resilience, News Transportation and Stormwater Services[...]

Dozens of people from three agencies, as well as some volunteer divers, are helping to keep the Hillsborough River junk free with a cleanup Tuesday.

Crews will be working from 8 am to noon, in, around, and on the water, identifying and removing items that have been improperly or accidentally dumped into the river.

"The health of the Hillsborough River is a treasure, and its health is central to the health of Tampa," Mayor Jane Castor said. "It's crushing to see the things that have been dumped in there, but it's refreshing to see this group effort to make things right."

Dumping any waste, debris, or pollutants into rivers, canals, storm drains, or coastal waters is illegal under the Florida Litter Law. Violators are subject to fines.

Previous river cleanups have yielded scooters, skateboards, tires, construction waste, automobile tires, and more.