Olin employees in KTnRB’s Adopt a River Mile program pose with a pile of trash that they collected at one of their 2024 cleanups.
Publix Super Markets has become the official 2025 title sponsor for the Adopt a River Mile program offered within the seven-state Tennessee River watershed by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful™ (KTnRB).
KTnRB is a 501c3 nonprofit and the 1st Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the nation to focus solely on the river. The seven-state Tennessee River watershed is said to be the most biodiverse river system in North America. Kathleen Gibi, KTnRB Executive Director, said the Adopt a River Mile program is one of the most mission-critical programs they offer.
Kimberly Arp of Chattanooga has removed several hundreds of pounds of trash on her river mile on Chickamauga Lake of the Tennessee River. She's organized a cleanup that will happen in February 2025 with a group of volunteers, while she has also done a cleanup individually while paddleboarding on the river.
“With a mission ‘to educate and inspire others to take action for the Tennessee River,’ we consider our Adopt a River Mile program the end game goal for our river cleanup efforts,” said Gibi.
In the lifetime of the Adopt a River Mile program so far, KTnRB has connected with 123 individuals/groups who have adopted 238 miles within the Tennessee River watershed. Those adoptees have reported hosting 59 cleanups on their own. Collectively, they have removed a total of 275,518.5 pounds of manmade debris from the Tennessee River watershed.
For perspective, the Tennessee River alone is 652 miles long, and the Tennessee River watershed is comprised of 42,000 miles of rivers and streams.
“Publix is proud to be this year’s title sponsor of the Adopt a River Mile program, which spans several states within our operating area,” said Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous. “As responsible citizens in the communities we serve, we are committed to helping protect, conserve and restore our waterways. Supporting Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is another way we are doing good, together.”
Every participant in KTnRB’s Adopt a River Mile program receives a package that includes river cleanup supplies, volunteer t-shirts, and stainless-steel water bottles (an example of a solution to the cups, bottles and cans found on river shorelines). They also receive a free sign with the individual/group name declaring the river mile under their care.
The original scope of the program has historically been supported through a work plan that KTnRB has with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, two agencies that have also long-supported KTnRB’s river cleanup efforts. The adoption signs are provided by KTnRB partner and national nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters.
Brandon and Sarah Jones live in a floating home on Fontana Lake of the Little Tennessee River where they have organized cleanups over the last five years. In October 2024, they organized a three-day cleanup with dozens of volunteers helping to fill 12 large dumpsters full of litter, boasting a whopping 56,832 lbs. of trash removed in 2025 alone! Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful came with their two boats and also contracted Living Lands & Waters to bring three of their boats, and together the two groups added an additional 30,168 lbs. of trash removed in that same weekend.