Litter looks bad, but it is the stuff you don’t see that should worry you.
In Fall 2015 we went down to Louisville to support a friend participating in the Iron Man. Theresa had to swim in the Ohio River as part of the event. It is not the sort of river you want to swim in!!!
Whether you live on water or not, all our human activities affect water.
Can you name something we do as people that doesn’t impact clean water? I don’t think so!
Just as how a pond in your yard is built and managed to reduce the opportunity of things to negatively impact it, you can choose to manage your property to minimize damage to lakes, rivers, streams and ground water.
Some of the things you should see in water ways and lakes are natural features. Woody materials in lakes and rivers are a positive and natural addition for fish, insects and wildlife. Many species require submerged parts of trees for some part of their life cycle.