The rapid development going on all over the mountains is washing mud into streams and lakes, creating a sediment problem that is generally considered this state’s number one pollution problem. The trouble with sediment, however, is that it is often impossible to determine who is to blame for all the mess. That also means it is often left where it settles because no one takes the responsibility to clean it up until some kind of crisis occurs.

In the upper Cullasaja Watershed, however, that may be about to change. The Upper Cullasaja Watershed Association - made up of dedicated Macon County residents - has voted to embark on a Lake Restoration Project. The resolution passed by the watershed association commits the organization’s resources to provide project management, technical expertise and planning coordination to any group that wants to solve a sediment problem in an area lake. At least 20 potential lakes in the watershed have been identified.

The lake restoration project is an offshoot of an effort to solve the silt problem at Mirror Lake. Homeowners in that Highlands area development have watched as their 34-acre lake has slowly but surely been filling up with dirt. Agriculture, road development, stormwater runoff, building and normal erosion all contribute to the sediment problem in Mirror Lake and other impoundments.

Mirror Lake homeowners have contracted a Georgia company about dredging the lake. According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineer officials, Aquatic Solutions provides a unique method of removing silt that does not require a Corps permit. The company takes dirt out of a lake with a scooper and dumps it onto a barge, which is then taken to shore where the dirt is transferred to a dump truck. Since there is no draining of the lake and no refilling, the Corps allows the process to occur without requiring a wide array of environmental permitting and testing.

While the watershed organization will provide help to Mirror Lake homeowners, it is not going to attempt to become a funding agent. The Mirror Lake project alone is expected to cost more than $1 million, and it appears that homeowners are going to try to come up with the money. The watershed association will help as an advisory body.

The watershed organization is making a wise move. It’s no secret that environmental groups and pro-growth advocates on the Highlands Plateau are often at odds. By reaching out to anyone with a lake and a sediment problem, the watershed association is showing its true colors - that what matters most is the environment and aquatic habitat, not which side of the fence a particular group sits.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News