White Rock Lake in Dallas is a place where you can be in nature without leaving the city. It’s considered a ‘gem of East Dallas,’ but underneath its exterior, it’s not always so shiny. “It’s a beautiful place out here, so every now and then they need a little bit of help,” John Brandes said. Brandes is Vice President of Maintenance Supply Solutions and one of 92 volunteers with the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas who came out Thursday to clean up trash around White Rock Lake. “Every year it’s gonna be the same,” Brandes said. “It gets washed down here. People drop it out of their boats, you know. We just come out and do our little part.” With rakes and shovels in hand, volunteers picked up a variety of things that don’t belong on White Rock Lake’s shores. “Lots of Styrofoam, lots of bottles,” said volunteer Kourtney Watson, who works for Century HVAC Distributing. “Used oil canisters, railroad ties, syringes,” Dallas Park and Rec Operations Manager Blake Wyne added. “Some of these items could be very hazardous to people if they pick them up.” Wyne said a lot of the litter around the lake is from people tossing things that end up in storm drains, which end up in White Rock Creek and then flow into the lake and onto the shores. Volunteers did more than pick up trash. “We’re mulching, and painting, and picking up trash that you see that gets washed up here,” Brandes said. “All of these people have put in their whole morning to make it a better place,” Watson said. “And so it looks 100% different than when we got here.” Wyne said the city relies on efforts of volunteer groups like the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas to help keep White Rock Lake shores and trails clean for others to enjoy.