10/01/2026
Where did all of these rubber ducks come from?
That's a question a homeowner on Norris Lake has been asking for several years.
One of our Norris Lake Project Volunteers who lives on Norris Lake has been finding rubber ducks on his shoreline for several years. So he started collecting them. Most recently, he found one during the Norris Lake Cleanup on September 19th. We don't know exactly where they came from, but they may have been part of duck races held upstream at the headwaters of the Powell River in Southwest Virginia.
The little ducks are a fun mystery but they also tell a bigger story.
Our waterways are connected. Something that enters a creek or river doesn't necessarily stay where it was put. A rubber duck, plastic bottle, balloon, piece of Styrofoam or other lightweight item can travel miles downstream and eventually end up on someone else's shoreline.
We're not sharing this to point fingers. We're sharing it because these traveling ducks give us a fun way to make an important point: what goes into the water can travel a long way.
Let's all do our part to keep our waterways clean. Secure your trash, don't let lightweight items blow away, and never intentionally release anything into our waterways.
You never know where it might end up!
Learn more or get involved: norrislakeproject.com
