by Richard Simms
posted April 2, 2003
A source with the Tennessee Valley Authority says the Agency is facing renewed pressure to resume milfoil spraying operations on Chickamauga Lake.
The issue first came up during the meeting of the Chickamauga Reservoir Aquatic Plant Management Stakeholder Group Meeting in January.
Stakeholder groups have been formed for most TVA Reservoirs. They are basically an advisory committee made up of landowners, fishermen, boaters and representatives from wildlife and environmental agencies. Decisions by the committees are not binding, but their "advice" provides TVA with a political "buffer zone" for potentially controversial decisions or policies (i.e. spraying milfoil).
During the 1980's milfoil covered app. 7,000 acres on Chickamauga Lake. Boaters and dockowners despised it, fishermen loved it. The aquatic vegetation created a tremendous bass fishery that attracted national attention. It also attracted huge numbers of waterfowl during the winter.
Throughout the 1980's, TVA conducted an aggressive milfoil control program, spending millions of dollars treating public recreation areas and private docks with herbicide. They used taxpayers dollars -- money appropriated from Congress for what was called "non-power programs."
Around 1989 or 1990, something happened. To this day no one can prove exactly what -- but almost every sprig of aquatic vegetation in Chickamauga Lake disappeared. Gone, history, archives!
TVA biologists laid the blame on unique environmental conditions and said their spraying program couldn't have possibly caused the massive die-off of aquatic vegetation. Fishermen didn't buy it. They are absolutely convinced that TVA spraying did it, and that it was done on purpose.
It didn't matter, the milfoil was gone and the bass fishing subsequently crashed like a stock market plunge. And the winter waterfowl now largely bypass Chickamauga.
While dockowners rejoiced over not having to deal with what they called a nuisance, sportsmen cried "foul," even holding a so-called "funeral" for Chickamauga Lake that attracted 700 trailered boats in a downtown protest funeral.
During the ensuing years a weakening economy and political pressure forced Congress to rescind all the "non-power" money once appropriated to TVA. Anything the Agency spends on anything now must come from money paid by electricity-users.
And now, there is a slight return of aquatic vegetation, primarily on the north end of the lake. In a 2002 survey TVA estimated about 2,300 acres of aquatic vegetation from Sale Creek north to Washington Ferry. The majority of the vegetation was spiny-leafed naiad, not Eurasian milfoil. TWRA biologists have said the naiad is not nearly as beneficial to fish as milfoil since it grows in extremely dense mats that provide no space for fish to move about.
But with the slight increase in aquatics come a proportionate increase in complaints from dockowners.
Two years ago the stakeholder group, including fishermen, agreed on a plan that allows dockowners to contract (and pay for) private operators to treat their dock areas with herbicides. The owners/operators must follow strict guidelines to receive permits. Last year 32 acres were treated with herbicides.
However at a January meeting of the Chickamauga Stakeholders group, a representative with the Chickamauga Lake Property Owners Association asked TVA to take back the responsibility, and financial burden, of spraying milfoil. TVA does assume a large portion of the responsibility, and the cost, for aquatic vegetation treatment on Guntersville Lake in Alabama.
A stakeholder vote was called for asking that TVA do the same on Chickamauga and five of the 12 people presented voted FOR the proposal. The other seven people present abstained (did not vote). Most of those were government employees from TVA, TDEC or TWRA.
Again, such votes are not binding, and the issue was ultimately deferred. The meeting minutes note that a TVA representative pointed out that "not all interests were represented at the meeting and suggested that further discussion by the entire stakeholder was called for prior to making major changes to the plan."
Preacher Reeves, the single "fisherman's" representative who attended the meeting pointed out that it would be a significant financial burden on TVA since the Agency no longer receives Congressional support for such programs. And while there are relatively few docks that require treatment right now, there are as many as 4,000 private docks on Chickamauga Lake. Should aquatic vegetation increase in the future (as fishermen hope it will), TVA would be setting a dangerously expensive, and controversial precedent by once again assuming the responsibility for milfoil control.
The source within TVA says they've been told that some private landowners will be contacting the new Bredesen administration in an effort to exert political pressure on TVA. And they are concerned.
There are no Chickamauga stakeholder meetings scheduled at this time. For now, private dockowners can continue to go through the red tape, and cost, of having approved private applicators treat their vegetation problems.
Where the process goes from here is anybody's guess.
For nearly three decades we've watched the milfoil pendulum swing back and forth. As vegetation increases, the pendulum swings toward the landowners. As vegetation decreases, the pendulum swings back toward the fishermen and sportsmen. TVA is trapped square in the middle.
The stakeholders groups are one way for the Agency to try and maintain objectivity, and defray at least some of the political pressure. They are open meetings. Anyone who cares can attend.
If you care, be at the next one, whenever it's scheduled. We'll let you know.
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