CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Litter collection devices will soon be installed along the Tennessee River to help keep the waterway cleaner, officials said.

The initiative will install 18 Seabin devices along the 652-mile (1,049-kilometer) river to help capture debris in the water under a partnership announced Tuesday that includes Tennessee's transportation department, a national litter cleanup foundation and marinas and attractions in the Tennessee Valley, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

Keep America Beautiful selected the Tennessee River as a test pilot of its Seabin project, officials said during the announcement at the pier on Chattanooga's downtown riverfront. The organization is providing the skimmer devices, which collectively could remove as much as 54,000 pounds (24,494 kilograms) of trash annually from the waterway, officials said.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is giving a $180,000 two-year grant to the Keep Tennessee River Beautiful nonprofit to help operate the project while local marinas and attractions are helping with maintenance.

Anna George, with the Tennessee Aquarium, said the debris collected in the Seabins will be displayed at the aquarium to help educate the public about pollution sources.

"The Seabins network will give us new opportunities to engage students and the public to show them how litter continuously flows from the land and into our waterways," George said.