2026 Lake Sweep / River Sweep

Lexington, SC 09/03/2026 - Have fun on Lake Murray while making a difference in your community! Registration is due this Saturday, Sept. 5 for Lake Sweep/River Sweep, an annual cleanup of Lake Murray and surrounding waterways.

This event is coordinated by Keep the Midlands Beautiful (KMB) with help from over 30 event partners including Dominion Energy, Lexington County Solid Waste Management, and Palmetto Pride and is KMB’s contribution to South Carolina’s annual Beach Sweep/River Sweep. The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and S.C. Department of Natural Resources organize the statewide Beach Sweep / River Sweep effort, which is held in conjunction with The Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.

Any organization can host an event and anyone can participate: individuals, families, schools, youth groups, civic and conservation clubs or businesses. All residents in the Midlands are encouraged to participate in KMB’s event. At KMB’s 2026 Lake Sweep / River Sweep, volunteers may choose to remove litter on their own from one of 80 waterways in Richland or Lexington County between Aug. 29 and Sept. 27 or participate with others by checking in at one of three locations around Lake Murray on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Free litter pickup supplies, prizes, boat rides, and t-shirts will be provided. Registration is required by Sept. 5 to get a t-shirt at https://bit.ly/2026LSRS. As many as 450 volunteers have participated annually in this event, removing over 15,000 pounds of litter. Lake Sweep/River Sweep is ideal for individuals and groups of all types and sizes and provides good, clean fun for the entire community! While residents are encouraged to participate in this annual event, KMB also relies on small volunteer groups to keep a variety of rivers, boat ramps, islands and other waterways in Lexington and Richland counties clean year-round.

KMB’s Adopt-a-Waterway program, sponsored in part by Dominion Energy, provides volunteer groups with recognition for removing litter from their adopted waterway at least two times a year for two years. For a list of available locations and details about how to adopt a waterway, visit https://bit.ly/AAWPage. To learn more, to volunteer, or to sponsor a KMB litter, recycling, or beautification program or event, go to https://kmbsc.org, email programs@kmbsc.org, or call (803) 733-1139.