Patoka Lake cleanup marks 20th event, volunteers invited Sept. 26
Patoka Lake’s 20th cleanup will send volunteers to the shoreline Sept. 26 as stewards work to protect drinking water and fall recreation.
The Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee will hold its 20th Patoka Lake Clean Up Day on Saturday, Sept. 26, sending volunteers from the Patoka Lake Corps of Engineers office at 4512 N. Cuzco Road in Dubois to pick up trash and recycling around the shoreline. The cleanup is tied to National Public Lands Day and arrives as the lake heads toward fall boating and fishing use, when litter and water-quality problems can hit hardest.
The cleanup will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with participants of all ages and abilities able to sign up on location before being assigned an area. Volunteers will return to the dam at 11 a.m. for a free fish fry, door prizes and goodie bags, and all cleanup supplies will be provided. Organizers are asking people to wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and long pants. Service groups and youth groups are asked to register ahead of time through the Patoka Lake Nature Center at 812-338-5589 ext. 3, and project coordinator Emily Russell can be reached at emily.russell@in.nacdnet.net.
The work carries heavier stakes than a one-day litter pickup. Patoka Lake supplies drinking water for more than 65,000 residents in nine southwest Indiana counties, and state watershed documents have treated it as a threatened drinking-water source in EPA assessment data because of water-quality concerns that include algae. A June 2026 beach advisory that cited blue-green algae and E. coli monitoring underscored how quickly contamination concerns can affect public access and confidence in the lake.
The cleanup’s record shows how much material has been pulled from the water’s edge over time. Since 2008, committee events have brought out more than 2,000 volunteers who collected nearly 25 tons of trash. A 2024 tally put the effort at 1,900 volunteers and more than 22.3 tons removed, while the first cleanup on Sept. 6, 2008, drew 36 volunteers who hauled out 1,000 pounds. The committee is marking the 20th cleanup with special drawings and activities, but the practical aim remains the same: keep litter off the shoreline, protect the lake’s water quality and preserve the conditions that support boating, fishing and the recreation economy built around Patoka Lake.
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