PRESTONSBURG – Over 500 volunteers came to the Dewey Lake area to participate in the annual lake cleanup on March 20.

“At the end of the day, the cleanup brought in 520 volunteers,” said Stonney Burke, natural resource specialist at Dewey Lake. “The volunteers picked up 1,040 bags of trash, 78 tires, refrigerators, furniture and much more. A total of 9.5 tons in all, and that’s a new record for total tons picked up. Not bad for one day’s work.”

The Lonesome Pine District Boy Scouts were among the volunteers at the event, with over 100 Boy Scouts donating their time to picking up garbage.

“The year’s accumulation of garbage provided ample amount of work for our Scouts, but they rose to the occasion, working tirelessly from 10 a.m. to around 5:30 p.m., with a lunch break in between,” said Michael Vernon, with the Boy Scouts. “You can certainly tell a difference on the shoreline.”

The cleanup also included a complementary cookout for all volunteers after several hours of picking up trash.

“Volunteers came from near and far, taking time out of their busy schedules to participate in picking up litter around the lake shore areas,” said Burke. “Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all 520 volunteers and sponsors for making the 2010 Operation Clean Sweep a success.”

This Saturday, another cleanup is scheduled, this time at Paintsville Lake. The event, scheduled to take place from 8 a.m. to noon, will feature a cookout following the cleanup, as well as prizes awarded to teams that pick up the most trash.