The shoreline of Lake Huron Photo: U.S. EPA

This year’s drought may make an annual effort to clean up Great Lakes beaches and shorelines a little easier, according to the Associated Press.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes, an organization that works to preserve the Great Lakes, is holding the cleanups Saturday at beaches in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

This year’s cleanups will be easier because the dry weather meant fewer sewer overflows that dump trash into the water, the news agency reported.

The environmental group is asking volunteers to show up at Great Lakes beaches to pick up trash. Individuals, families, schools, community, scouting and religious groups can register online to take part in the cleanups.

Thousands of people showed up last year and collected more than 15,000 pounds of garbage, the Associated Press reported. Volunteers also performed simple water-quality tests to determine the lakes’ health.

Organizers are expecting more volunteers to remove trash and collect data for scientific tests this year.

Go here for information about the cleanup.