KTnRB crews demonstrate the River ROVer in the mouth of First Creek on the Tennessee River for the media at the program press conference and launch held in Downtown Knoxville, Tenn.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful® (KTnRB) launched the River ROVer™, an innovative cleanup initiative that removes floating litter and debris from waterways throughout the seven-state Tennessee River watershed. With support from Yamaha Rightwaters™ and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), KTnRB combines remote-operated debris collection technology with a specially engineered vessel to expand cleanup efforts near dams and to educate communities about the far-reaching impacts of waterway pollution.
An action shot of the River ROVer gobbling up some litter.
Project leaders launched the program on Nov. 10 with a demonstration cleanup at Volunteer Landing, a downtown riverfront park in Knoxville, Tennessee, which is the headwaters city for the Tennessee River.
The River ROVer addresses a larger environmental challenge: litter that enters local waterways doesn’t necessarily stay there. Stormwater runoff carries trash from streets and neighborhoods into nearby creeks, lakes and rivers, where currents can transport debris across county and state lines. Litter originating in the Tennessee River watershed can eventually travel through the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, contributing to marine debris pollution as far away as the Gulf.
Debris collected by the River ROVer in one of its runs at the project press conference and launch held in Knoxville, Tenn. on Nov. 10, 2026.
By bringing together KTnRB's conservation expertise, Yamaha’s marine engineering capabilities and TVA’s operational and financial support, the River ROVer takes a collaborative approach to protecting the Tennessee River watershed while encouraging communities to prevent litter before it reaches our waterways.
“The Tennessee River connects communities across seven states within its watershed, and the litter that enters our waterways doesn’t worry about county or state lines,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. “Trash that washes into a storm drain or creek today can become our neighboring community’s problem miles downstream tomorrow. True to the innovative nature of our nonprofit, the River ROVer gives us a pioneering approach to removing that debris. It also demonstrates why preventing litter in the first place is so important. We're grateful to Yamaha Rightwaters and TVA for helping bring this project to life.”
The River ROVer launch comes just after the organization’s 9th annual ‘Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month® presented by TVA,’ in which the organization hosted nine cleanups across five states.
During the month of October, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s crew and its partners removed 51,099 pounds of trash and filled 492 bags of litter with 118 volunteers who provided 4,779 hours of community service. Debris and litter removed from the watershed and riverbanks included several docks, dock floats, heavy dock foam, two septic tanks, three truck bed liners, plastic roofing, five abandoned boats, carpet, televisions, a mini-fridge, car parts, a recliner and 709 tires.
TVA team members celebrate with their full trash boatload at their cleanup on Chickamauga Lake during the 9th annual Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month presented by TVA in October.
Additionally, participants in KTnRB’s Adopt a River Mile Program presented by Publix removed additional poundage during the month of October, including a month-long cleanup of Fontana Lake coordinated by Brandon and Sarah Jones of Keeping Afloat with the Joneses and a lake-wide cleanup of Pickwick Lake by the Tri-State Gambler 500. These and other adoptee cleanups removed 63,834 pounds of trash from six lakes and five rivers during October.
Combined with the nine cleanups hosted by KTnRB, a total of 114,933 lbs. of trash was removed during Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month this year.
The River ROVer project began in 2023, when Keep America Beautiful® donated to KTnRB a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) capable of collecting debris from the water’s surface. Recognizing the potential to expand the device’s effectiveness, Yamaha began engineering a specialized vessel to support its deployment and operation, with the ability to cover areas previously unreachable by KTnRB volunteers. Yamaha recently donated that vessel, along with a Yamaha outboard motor and trailer, giving KTnRB a dedicated platform to conduct waterway cleanups.
KTnRB will manage River ROVer operations and coordinate with TVA to conduct cleanup activities near dams throughout the Tennessee River watershed. TVA has also awarded KTnRB a $57,000 grant to support River ROVer crew operations and a public education campaign focused on the movement of litter through interconnected waterways.
“Protecting the Tennessee River and the communities that depend on it is a shared responsibility,” said Paul Pearman, TVA Senior Manager, Environmental Resource Stewardship. “Our support of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s River ROVer program reflects our commitment to innovative solutions that combine technology, community education and hands-on cleanup efforts to keep our waterways healthy.”
The program will begin with operational trials on the river, followed by cleanup trials near TVA dams conducted in coordination with TVA officials. Photos and video captured during the River ROVer’s launch will support an educational awareness campaign illustrating how litter moves downstream and why preventing pollution is a shared responsibility.
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful was founded in 2016, creating the first Keep America Beautiful® affiliate in the nation to focus solely on a river. Since then, the nonprofit has rallied nearly 6,000 volunteers to remove over 1 million pounds of trash from the Tennessee River watershed.
KTnRB is the only nonprofit that travels the seven-state Tennessee River watershed with a cleanup fleet. Earlier this year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee honored KTnRB with the prestigious Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award (GESA).
Yamaha Rightwaters was KTnRB’s first corporate sponsor and donated the outboard motors that power the organization’s three-vessel fleet.
“Yamaha Rightwaters has a longstanding relationship with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, supporting the organization’s ongoing efforts to protect and improve the health of the Tennessee River watershed,” said Joshua Grier, Sustainability Manager, Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S. “With several Yamaha facilities located in communities connected to the Tennessee River, protecting this vital waterway is especially meaningful to our company. The River ROVer represents another important step in reducing marine debris and preserving the river for the people, businesses and future generations that depend on it.”