APD Dive Team pulls scooters out of Lady Bird Lake

Scooters pulled out of Lady Bird Lake

The Austin Police Department Dive Team pulled scooters out of Lady Bird Lake. This is their first time doing a cleanup, and they expect to find several dozen scooters underwater.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department Dive Team spent the morning pulling scooters out of Lady Bird Lake. 

This is their first time doing a cleanup, and they expect to find several dozen scooters underwater.

What they're saying:

"Recently, our team got some new equipment, some new dive suits and we wanted to just give back a little bit to the community by cleaning up some of the scooters," Sgt. Issa Kafena with the Austin Police Bomb Squad & Dive Team, said.

Seven divers went down and marked each scooter with buoys, then they attached a rope to it. Many scooters were pulled up covered in vegetation.

While you may not give much thought to what's beneath the lake's surface, having objects underwater makes it harder for crews if they do have to rescue someone.

APD Dive Team pulling scooters from lake

The Austin Police Department Dive Team spent the morning pulling scooters out of Lady Bird Lake. (Courtesy: Austin Police Department)

"It is extremely hazardous to the environment and for anybody who might be using the water, even though you're not supposed to be swimming in it, having all of those obstacles underwater is very, very dangerous," Kafena said. "Over the summer when people may get lost, either drowning or missing, we're in the water a lot and that makes our probably most dangerous job even more dangerous by having all those scooters."

By the numbers:

APD later shared that the dive team recovered 20 scooters, a shopping cart and two bicycles from the lake.

What's next:

Tuesday's cleanup was all under the Mopac bridge. Crews are also planning to do cleanup under the Congress Avenue bridge and South 1st Street bridge.