Lake Havasu: Effort lets diving group really ‘clean up’

Havasu News: Effort lets diving group really ‘clean up’
Tons of trash that sat at the bottom of Lake Havasu only a week ago is headed to the landfill. But there’s a lot more still left.

The Lake Havasu Divers Association held the 3rd Annual Copper Canyon Cleanup earlier this week, bringing up more than two tons of trash. Sixteen divers and 11 non-diver volunteers, along with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Bureau of Land Management, the Lake Havasu Marina, Scuba Training & Technology, Donut Post and the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department picked up trash from the bottom of Copper Canyon. Divers found tires, barbecues, chairs, bottles, solo cups, a watch, a few pairs of sunglasses and “loads of beer cans,” said Kathy Weydig, of the Lake Havasu Divers Association.

“I didn’t get maybe 30 feet into my spot at Copper Canyon, there was just so much down there,” Weydig said. “I think it was good that we picked up as much as we did, but there’s still so much more.”

Howard Cooper, Diving Association member, said it would take more than a few more days to finish.

“We could be down there for another week, six-hours a day and not scratch the surface,” Cooper said, adding he couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment during the cleanup. “I just felt a lot of disappointment in the things people would throw in the lake and the disregard for our lake.”

Cooper said he felt proud of the group for filling the 12-by-40-foot barge full of trash.

“It’s a great activity for the Divers Association but there is still a lot down there,” he said. “We’re glad to do it and help clean up the area. It’s unfortunate how easy it is to put something into the water. They can be cited, but it’s so easy to just drop something because it sinks and it’s gone.”

The group’s next underwater cleanup is scheduled for October. Those looking for more information are asked to call Scuba Training & Technology at 855-9400 or the Lake Havasu Divers Association’s Facebook page.