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Waste Tire Recovery
The Tug Fork River is plagued with thousands upon thousands of old, illegally dumped, waste tires. Our "Tire Tug of War" river cleanup effort was started in 2019 and has made significant progress but we have many, many years of work and many, many thousands of tires ahead.
The vast majority of the tires recovered have beeen in the river for decades. They are from an era of lax regulation and weak enforcement and are the result of a culture of treating our river as a dumping ground. The culture has changed but the tires have remained...until now.
Check out pictures and details from each event!
Warfield, KY & Kermit, WV - October 7, 2026...The Day We Hit 20,000
Warfield, KY & Kermit, WV - October 7, 2026...The Day We Hit 20,000
Today’s project was at Kermit, WV & Warfield, KY. The weather and river were as good as it gets as we closed out our 2026 Tire Tug-of-War season.
With a lot of in-stream help from volunteers, Martin County KY inmates, WV DEP REAP, and Collins Services LLC we were able to recover 427 waste tires from the river. Our new eight-year grand total is 20,390.
Thanks to South Williamson Walmart for a grant to cover some of our Tire Tug-of-War expenses this year. Thanks to the Tug Fork N Spoon Restaurant for a great meal for our hungry crew.
TWENTY-FRICKEN-THOUSAND
Friends of the Tug Fork River recovered our 20,000th waste tire from the Tug Fork River today. Twenty thousand is just number, but it’s a big number, and a milestone number. It took eight years of hard work and dedication from a lot of different volunteers, businesses, other nonprofits, and government agencies to get here. Nobody could have done this without working together towards the common goal of improving where we live.
We’re nowhere near done! After we hit 10,000 we had made a dent, at 20,000 you can see a noticeable difference, but there are still endless thousands of tires in our river. Maybe someday…
The vast majority of the tires we recover have been in the river for decades. Our 20,000th, in the picture below, is a Firestone Super Balloon that was manufactured from the late 1940s through the 1950s. Yes, that is a very wide whitewall on that tire. We recovered several of similar vintage today.
We’ll be back to work with Tire Tug-of-War events again next summer. Come out and join us in the river!
From Left: Richard "Pete" Runyon (FotTFR), Sam Stalnaker (REAP), Greg Rote (REAP), John Burchett (FotTFR)
Williamson, WV & South Williamson, KY - September 30, 2026
Williamson, WV & South Williamson, KY - September 30, 2026
The weather and river were perfect for our waste-tire cleanup event along Williamson’s business district flood wall today. A small group of our regular volunteers along with Williamson Parks Commission Workforce program in partnership with Coalfield Development, WV DEP REAP, and Collins Services LLC recovered 114 tires from a short section of the Tug Fork River. The river between the 2nd Ave bridge and the Harvey Street bridge is now (relatively) tire free.
Thanks to South Williamson Walmart for a grant to cover expenses during our cleanup events this year and to Starters Sports Bar & Grill for the awesome food for our hungry crew.
Our new grand total of waste tires recovered from the Tug Fork River is 19,963.
West Williamson, WV / South Williamson, KY - September 16, 2026
West Williamson, WV / South Williamson, KY - September 16, 2026
It was a nice day to be in the river along the West Williamson flood wall. Working with local volunteers, WV DEP REAP, Collins Services LLC and Williamson Parks Commission’s Workforce Development Program in partnership with Coalfield Development we were able to recover 215 waste tires from the river.
This part of the river was especially polluted with tires when we started this project 8 years ago. We had our biggest recovery day ever (1,064) here a few years ago. Today we ran out of tires, 215 was all we could find.
The vast majority of the tires we are recovering from the river have been there for decades. If no one ever threw another tire in the river, it would take decades to get out the ones already there.
Thanks to South Williamson Walmart for a generous donation to cover expenses for our Tire Tug-of-War events this year. Thanks to Starters Sports Bar & Grill for some great food at the event.
Our new grand total tires recovered from the river since 2019 is 19,849.
Dumpster Tug-of-War? - September 17, 2026
Dumpster Tug-of-War? - September 17, 2026
Thanks to WV DEP REAP and Collins Services LLC for recovering two dumpsters from the river in Williamson/South Williamson today. The pair were swept into the river during the February, 2025 flood event. We appreciate Johnny Dotson for allowing us to use his property for the project.
Between Borderland and Nolan, WV - September 1, 2026
Between Borderland and Nolan, WV - September 1, 2026
Today’s waste tire recovery project targeted a small shoal between Borderland and Nolan. A crew from Stream Sweepers Clinch River Project launched canoes and jon boats from our Borderland River access site while a crew of local volunteers and Coalfield Development trainees entered the river from the KY side at the shoal. Tires were cleaned from the shoal while Stream Sweepers gathered tires as they floated downstream to the shoal. WV DEP REAP, and Collins Services LLC winched the tires up the riverbank, loaded them and hauled them for disposal.
A total of 363 waste tires were removed from the Tug Fork River today. Our new 8 year grand total is 19,634.
Thank you South Williamson Walmart for the grant to cover expenses, and Starters Sports Bar & Grill for the awesome food. We appreciate Garfield Thacker for allowing us to use his property today.
Williamson, WV & South Williamson, KY - August 27, 2026
Williamson, WV & South Williamson, KY - August 27, 2026
It has been a wet summer in the Tug Valley so we are a little late getting started. We returned to where it started 8 years ago, along the South Williamson flood wall, to clear out some stragglers and new arrivals from the flood of 2025.
Coalfield Development and Kentucky Waterways Alliance joined our regular volunteer crew in the river today. As usual, WV DEP REAP and their contractor, Collins Services LLC, took care of equipment operation and tire disposal. Together, we recovered 251 waste tires from the Tug Fork.
Thanks go to South Williamson Walmart for a grant to cover the day's expenses and Starters Sports Bar & Grill for some great food for our hungry, hardworking crew.
Sprigg, WV - April 10, 2026
Sprigg, WV - April 10, 2026
We started our 8th year of the Tire Tug-of-War on an island downstream of Sprigg, WV. Early Spring, before the Japanese Knotweed takes over, is the best time to recover these land-based tires. Working with Coalfield Development, Hatfield and McCoy Airboat Tours, and WV DEP REAP, we were able to remove 397 waste tires from the river channel. An awesome lunch was provided by TrailHead Bar & Grill.
Our new eight year grand total of waste tires recovered from the Tug Fork River is 19,020.
Nolan, WV - October 2, 2025
Nolan, WV - October 2, 2025
We worked a waste tire recovery project in a short shoal at the upper end of Nolan yesterday. Thanks to a lot of help from local and almost-local volunteers we were able to clear 311 tires from the Tug Fork River. This shoal had a high concentration of tires in a small area but wasn’t accessible by our usual methods. WV DEP REAP and Collins Services LLC were able to set up a winching system on the riverbank directly above the shoal. We hauled the tires directly up from where they were found.
Our seven year grand total of waste tires recovered from the Tug Fork is now 18,623.
Most of these tires have been in the river for decades. Some were brought in by the February flood. Yes, some are still being illegally dumped, but no where near like in years past. Please, respect our river and support our work by properly disposing of your waste tires and garbage.
Thanks to our regular and some new volunteers, WV DEP REAP, Collins Services LLC, and Starters Sports Bar & Grill. We appreciate Roger Massey for allowing us to park on his property.
Borderland, WV - September 18, 2025
Borderland, WV - September 18, 2025
The area of the river just downstream of our Borderland access site is now (relatively) tire free! Last year we put in a hard day and recovered 729 tires from here. We added 303 to that number today. Thats 1,032 tires in two days work from 1/2 mile of river.
Thanks to our faithful volunteer crew, WV DEP REAP, WV DEP Watershed Improvement Branch, Kentucky Division of Water, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and Starters Sports Bar & Grill.
Slaters Branch, KY - September 3, 2025
Slaters Branch, KY - September 3, 2025
We worked this area late in October last year but the water and air were too cold to complete the project. This year we recovered all the remaining tires we could find in the target area and finished the day on time. There are now 496 less tires in the Tug Fork River.
Thanks to our loyal crew of volunteers, WV DEP REAP, WV DEP Watershed Improvement Branch, Pike County KY, KY Division of Waste Management, and Starters Sports Grill. We appreciate Jimmy Kinzer for allowing us to use his property to access the river.
South Williamson KY - West Williamson, WV - Aug 12 & 19, 2025
South Williamson KY - West Williamson, WV - Aug 12 & 19, 2025
We worked Aug 12 and 19 along the West Williamson flood wall from a staging area at the South Williamson boat ramp. Volunteers, Pike County KY, WV DEP REAP, KY Div of Waste Management, and Starters Grill all contributed to the succes of the missions. a total of 615 waste tires were recovered from river.
Slaters Branch, KY - October 21, 2024
Slaters Branch, KY - October 21, 2024
Our last waste tire cleanup up the year was delayed until yesterday. It is late in the season with cold air in the mornings and cold water all day but we had this one planned and wanted to get it done this year.
We had a good day recovering 334 waste tires from the river. The water was too cold to get all of them in this location but we’ll be back to get those next summer.
Thanks to Pike County Kentucky, local volunteers, LiKEN Knowledge, and WV DEP REAP for hands on help today. We appreciate Jimmy Kinzer for allowing us to use his property, Jason Evans of Ace Excavation for cleaning up a short road to the river for our use, and Williamson Health & Wellness for feeding our hungry crew.
Our total waste tire recovery count for 2024 is 2,843. Our new 6 year grand total of waste tires recovered from the Tug Fork River is 16,183.
Goodman, WV - Sept 11, 2024
Goodman, WV - Sept 11, 2024
We had a busy two days at our new official public access site at Goodman, WV. A parking area has been created, the huge mud hole at the entrance has been eliminated, the road down to the river has been smoothed and graveled, and 372 waste tires were recovered from the river here.
Thanks to Kapourales Properties for leasing the site to Friends of the Tug Fork River, WV DNR, and Williamson Parks & Recreation. It is now officially open for public use with more improvements coming soon.
Thanks to the WV Division of Highways for getting the monster mud hole beside the highway drained and filled and cleaning up the road right-of-way frontage to the site.
Thanks to a combined effort of WV DEP, WV DNR, and Collins Services LLC for the site cleanup and repairs to the road to the river.
Then, today, our Tire Tug of War Event recovered 372 waste tires from the river just downstream of the site. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be working in the river. We even had a Bald Eagle circle above us with a watchful eye. Our help in the river today came from local volunteers, Stream Sweepers Central Appalachia Project, Stream Sweepers Clinch River Project, and, as always, our most valuable players from WV DEP REAP.
Thanks to Nathan Brown for coordinating with WV DOH and Williamson Health & Wellness for feeding our hungry crew.
Borderland, WV - August 28, 2024
Borderland, WV - August 28, 2024
What we thought would be a light day turned into major waste tire cleanup just below the Borderland access site. We recovered 729 tires from the Tug Fork River today. Our new six year total waste tires removed from the Tug Fork River is 14,380.
Thanks to our local volunteers, Stream Sweepers Central Appalachia Project, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Kentucky Division of Water, and, as always, WV DEP REAP. All provided invaluable labor at this event.
Support for today's event came from: Williamson Health and Wellness Center provided food for our hungry crew. Jerome Marcum allowed the use of his property. Steve Francis provided labor and equipment to cleanup and repair the old boat ramp at the site.
Williamson, WV / South Williamson, KY - August 14, 2024
Williamson, WV / South Williamson, KY - August 14, 2024
August 14, 2024 was a prefect day in the water with Stream Sweepers - Central Appalachia Project, WV DEP REAP, and volunteers.
The weather was great and the river was low, slow, and clear. We were short-handed but recovered 311 waste tires from the Tug Fork along the West Williamson flood wall.
2023 - The year we hit 10,000!
2023 - The year we hit 10,000!
Tire Tug of War
2023 Final Numbers
Our 2023 Tug Fork River "Tire Tug of War" waste tire cleanup project is done for the year with some big numbers. We worked projects along the border between Mingo County, WV and Pike County, KY.
A total of 4,566 waste tires were recovered from the waters of our river this year bringing us to a five year project total of 13,340 tires.
Burnwell Beach, KY - Sept 6, 2023
Burnwell Beach, KY - Sept 6, 2023
On Sept. 6 we hit the beach, Burnwell Beach, in Pike County, KY. Burnwell is a popular recreation site with a large sandy beach area along a long, fast water shoal. The shoal and area just below yielded 564 tires that day. That brought our total of recovered tires to 10,608!
Scenic beauty being restored at Burnwell Beach, KY...one tire at a time.
Lobata / Sprigg, WV - August 21 & 24, 2023
Lobata / Sprigg, WV - August 21 & 24, 2023
We worked the river between Williamson and Matewan three times in late August and early September. On August 21 the target was a shoal near Lobata, WV that was lined with waste tires. The 24th of August led us to an area in Sprigg, WV just upstream of the Tug Valley Country Club golf course. A total of 874 tires were recovered during these two events. After five years of work, our 10,000th tire was recovered at Sprigg and saved for posterity!
Volunteers roll tires across the the low water in a shoal at Lobata, WV
Unloading the jon boat barges full of tires at Sprigg, WV
Tires in a shoal at Lobata, WV
FotTFR's John Burchett with the 10,000th tire recovered after five years of work.
Sprigg, WV - April 14, 2023
Sprigg, WV - April 14, 2023
We started our war on tires in the Tug Fork River earlier than usual this year. Working on an island/peninsula with help from Hatfield McCoy Airboat Tours, The Dirty Hooker ATV Recovery Service, Pike County inmates, volunteers, and, as always, WV DEP REAP we recovered 396 waste tires from our river channel. Since 2019, FotTFR has led an effort that has removed a grand total 9,170 illegally dumped tires from the Tug Fork River.
We always need volunteers for these events during the summer. Keep an eye on our Facebook group for announcements.
2022 - Three years of success!
2022 - Three years of success!
Thanks to a lot of local support and the help of Human Resources Development Foundation, we had a record setting 3,675 tires recovered during our annual "Tire Tug of War" river cleanup this year. As always, we thank WV DEP REAP! They bring equipment, manpower, and expertise to get the job done then properly dispose of the tires recovered.
Williamson, WV / South Williamson, KY - 2022
Williamson, WV / South Williamson, KY - 2022
We began our "Tire Tug of War" river tire cleanup project in 2019 in a 1/3 mile stretch of river below the South Williamson flood wall. Four years later, we ran out of tires at this site with a grand total of 4,962 tires recovered from the river here.
There are, undoubtedly, hundreds more tires buried in the sand and silt of the riverbank and river bottom in this area. These tires will become exposed as the river shifts over time. For the first time, this year, we made a clean sweep of this section of river and could find no more tires. In years past we had always run out of time before we ran out of tires. We will be back next year to gather stragglers.
This project could not happen without involvement of State, County, and Local Governments, local businesses, organizations, and individuals. Our biggest support comes from West Virginia DEP REAP, we couldn't have accomplished this monumental task without them.
Thanks to all that have helped with this project!
The morning after our event was complete. A beautiful, tire-free Tug Fork River.
Waste tires are one of the biggest problems in our river.
Kermit, WV / Warfield, KY - Aug. 29 & Sept. 15, 2022
Kermit, WV / Warfield, KY - Aug. 29 & Sept. 15, 2022
Local partners included the City of Warfield (KY), Kermit (WV) Volunteer Fire Department, Martin County (KY) and the WV Human Resources Development Foundation. As always, WV DEP REAP lead the way with their personnel, equipment, and expertise.
Friends of the Tug Fork River hosted river tire cleanup events on August 29th and September 15th at the Warfield, KY boat ramp. With a lot of local support, 640 illegally dumped tires were recovered on the 1st day and 211 on the 2nd day for a total of 851 tires removed from our river.
Most of the tires had been in the river for decades and are believed to have been dumped there over many years, by a now out-of-business local service station.
WV DEP REAP's HydraTrek works at pulling tires loose from the sand and silt. The machine is a godsend!
An empty "barge" heads upriver to reload with waste tires recovered from the river.
McCarr, Kentucky - August 24, 2022
McCarr, Kentucky - August 24, 2022
Crews from WV DEP REAP, WV Human Resources Development Foundation, and Friends of the Tug Fork River worked in our river at the Hatfield McCoy Feud PawPaw Tree Incident Historical Site on August 24th. The group effort recovered approximately 75 waste tires from the river within view of the popular tourist attraction. WV HRDF is using grant funding from WV DEP to hire local workers for a Summer river cleanup project.
2021 Tire Tug of War
2021 Tire Tug of War
2020 Tire Tug of War
2020 Tire Tug of War
The year 2020 was plagued by the Covid 19 pandemic. West Virginia DEP halted assisting with all group projects for the entire summer season but tire cleanup momentum was maintained with an effort by the Williamson Fire Department. Firefighters recovered 180 waste tires from the river along Williamson's business district flood wall.
2019 - The year it all began!
2019 - The year it all began!
The summer of 2019 was very dry in the Tug Valley and the Tug Fork River ran very low. Many thousands of tires poked out of the river's water between the South Williamson, Kentucky flood wall and the City of Williamson, West Virginia. A phone call was made to WV DEP REAP, a site visit was held, and then, progress was made. During a four day event with many hard working volunteers, 2,321 old waste tires were recovered from the water.
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