Underwater Cleanup at Northern California Lake Uncovers Trove of Surprising Finds

A volunteer underwater cleanup at Upper Twin Lake in California’s Eastern Sierra removed 4,999 pieces of debris during five days in September. Clean Up The Lake, a Tahoe-based nonprofit, conducted 18 scuba dives along 3.89 miles of shoreline in Bridgeport and recovered more than 2,400 pounds of trash from the lakebed, including 1,376 cans, 24 tires and 31 anchors. Divers also surfaced two concealed handguns—a small old derringer and a revolver—found during the same dive operation and later turned over to the Mono County Sheriff’s Department. The team also identified two major underwater litter hot spots and flagged nine oversized “heavy lift” objects requiring extra coordination. The cleanup used mesh bags and lift bags for heavier items, while snorkelers, kayakers and boat crews staged trash pickup and tracking to specific dives for mapping.