LAKE TRAVIS, Texas — In an effort to keep Austin's waterways clean, nearly 1,000 people gathered to clean up Lake Travis over the weekend.
This event is the largest underwater and shoreline cleanup effort in the entire state of Texas.
Nearly 300 scuba divers and more than 500 volunteers came together at Lake Travis to help the group "Keep Austin Beautiful" live up to its name.
Instead of being out swimming, for 8-year-old Max Chmiel it's a way of helping out his community.
"There's probably like 50 or 60 people helping [in his area]," Chmiel said, as he helped pass out hand sanitizer to keep the hands of other volunteers cleaned.
Like Chmiel, there are nearly a thousand others taking their time to help clean up a mess.
"It feels really good," said Andrew Li, who took his free time to help with the cleanup efforts along with his coworkers.
"It feels like I'm actually helping out and it feels great," Li explained.
Close to a thousand volunteers gathered for the 24th Annual Lake Travis Cleanup event, hosted by Keep Austin Beautiful, the Colorado River Alliance and Travis County Parks.
"We often don't realize when waterways get polluted, it goes directly into this lake," said Sara Law, community engagement manager for the Keep Austin Beautiful organization.
The event honors the memory of a former volunteer, Travis County Sheriff's Office Sr. Deputy Jessica Hollis, who was swept away during a flooding back in 2014.
"It's really just a way for the community to come together to honor someone who has done such great work in Austin," Law said.
In the 24 years of this event, more than 125 tons of trash have been picked up, and about 22,000 volunteers have signed up to help clean up Lake Travis in the past.
Organizers say volunteers are uniting for a cause, hoping to make a long-term impact on Central Texas waterways.
"Keeping the lake nice and clean is pretty much a good habit," Chmiel said, as he held on to a trash grabber.
The next cleanup event will take place at Lady Bird Lake on Oct. 20. Click here for more information.