On Thursday Sept. 4 at 10 a.m., representatives from the nationally acclaimed conservation group Living Lands and Waters will join City of Knoxville officials in announcing plans for a major cleanup of the Tennessee River next April. Also attending will be representatives from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Ijams Nature Center.

The press event will be held at the Pavilion at Volunteer Landing (just west of Calhoun's on the River).

The group's "Tennessee River Tour" will kick off with a stay in Knoxville, which will include a public river cleanup and educational activities across the city.

Living Lands & Waters was formed in 1998 by Chad Pregacke, whose efforts to clean up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers have led to the removal of more than 8 million tons of trash from American rivers, with the help of nearly 70,000 volunteers. In 2013, Pregacke was named CNN's "Hero of the Year." This will be Living Lands & Waters' first cleanup effort on the Tennessee River.

Between now and next spring, the group will be soliciting volunteers and sponsors throughout the Knoxville community. For more information, see http://livinglandsandwaters.org