DEP Employees Take (Scuba) Dive For Earth Day
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In honor of Earth Day, employees from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Southcentral Regional Office and Central Office organized a volunteer scuba dive April 20 at Fuller Lake in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Cumberland County.
The scuba dive was part of a litter clean up event called “Crazy for the Earth.” DEP employees volunteered to dive to the bottom of the 1.7-acre lake and retrieve waste that had collected over the past several decades. In spite of the water being 42 degrees, the dive was successful and produced an old push lawnmower, broken lawn furniture, broken toys and assorted trash.
Fuller Lake was an active limestone quarry in the late 1800s, and when operations ceased, natural springs filled the quarry with water. In addition to collecting waste, the scuba divers had a chance to explore large, wooden structures that were built when the quarry was active.
Volunteer-based dives, like this one, were started in 2010 by Mark Houser, Compliance Specialist for the Waste Management Program at DEP’s South-central Regional Office. They are normally held on Earth Day. The event was sponsored by a local dive shop in Harrisburg and is part of Project AWARE and the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup.
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5/7/2012 |
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