Bill Reeves, previously TWRA's Chief of Fisheries, bow TWRA's Chief of Biodiversity.
Bill Reeves, a fisheries expert with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, worked for the Alabama Dept. of Natural Resources before coming to TWRA. He worked extensively on Guntersville reservoir and has a lengthy history directly involved with aquatic vegetation management issue. Given the current questions raised yet again (Read previous article here), regarding spraying milfoil on Chickamauga Lake, Reeves weighs in with his perspective over the last few decades.
Let me add a few thoughts to the discussion on TVA's weed spraying in the valley - Chickamauga and the others - from one who has been around almost as long as the hills.
During the '70s and '80s TVA approached aquatic vegetation with the "man can conquer all attitude. We can beat this beast into submission."
The brain trust in TVA was unwilling to listen to their solid biologists like David Webb- remember biologists do not populate the TVA executive staff and Board- engineers and politicians do. Most of their efforts were concentrated in Guntersville because of: 1) very shallow feathered edge and overall shallow reservoir; 2) minimal drawdown- 18"; 3) explosive growth of Eurasian milfoil- hydrilla came later; 4) as much as 30% of lake covered; and 5) marina, yacht, jet boat, and sailboat owner complaints- on top of their own concerns about potential impacts to hydro generation.
Their (TVA's) response was a massive build up of staff, equipment and supplies to eliminate the offender(s). I remember, as the district biologist on Guntersville, seeing a barge or barges anchored in the lake with 55 gallon drums of herbicide (2,4-D mostly in the early days) stacked high on the deck and multiple air boats zooming in and out loading and applying herbicide. At some point the TVA brain trust began to realize that elimination was virtually impossible and the new buzz words became "control" and "manage."
This became poignantly clear when hydrilla arrived on the scene with its ability to reseed itself through fragments, tubers, turions, seeds, stolons and rhizomes, i.e. almost impossible to eliminate.
Then came the triploid grass carp stocking debacle where the fish that did not leave or were caught out by commercial fishermen, did not select hydrilla to eat, preferring the softer stems and leaves of native aquatics and milfoil. Opposing this stocking around Guntersville was a dangerous thing- my personal experience, saved by long time TVA biologist Ben Jaco.
Studies post-stocking documented only very localized plant reductions and for only a short time- 2-3 years.
During the late '80s, particularly 1987-1989, the southeast was in a drought. Lake levels in many areas dropped, water cleared from lack of nutrient input (runoff), and aquatic plant growth and coverage was at the max. Hydrilla and milfoil in Guntersville were growing in water deeper than 8 feet and the upper end of the reservoir around Scottsboro was essentially a solid bed of weeds out to the river channel. This was the boat lane and dock clearing period for TVA- realizing that even trying to "control" these plants was a losing battle.
Then came the winter of 1989-1990. Weather patterns shifted and the drought was over in a big way. The river stayed high and muddy from early winter to late spring. When the water cleared the weeds were gone not only in Guntersville but throughout the mainstem impoundments from Ft.
Loudoun through Kentucky Lake.
Of course everyone blamed TVA. After all, they were the ones with history of battling the weeds, even if it was a losing effort. No one seemed to realize that nobody, even TVA, had the ability to eliminate the weeds, valley-wide, over a period of only 5 months.
I suppose blaming TVA seemed reasonable to most because they had been trying, even if unsuccessfully, to eliminate weeds with literally millions of dollars and decades of effort. Only Mother Nature could accomplish that feat but she is an elusive target; TVA is much more convenient.
Years passed with little plant recovery. We, TWRA, were tasked by anglers to find a culprit. We tested the soils for residual herbicides that would inhibit plant growth. Nothing was found. We took bottom muds from the Chick and grew aquatic plants in submerged containers- obviously no contamination. No one seemed to be willing to accept changing weather patterns as the culprit- there had to be a human element (TVA) responsible.
Then in the mid to late 2000's weather patterns shifted back to drought conditions (remember the Lake Lanier drawdown and the GA-AL-FL water wars that continue to today). We began receiving reports from anglers that the weeds were making a comeback in Kentucky and Chickamauga in particular and that fishing was improving.
Obviously to every angler, the weeds are continuing that comeback to this day. We are still in that drought period and may be for some years to come. But that will change, as it always has, and wetter years will return. But there will always be those that blame TVA, black helicopters, "the government", etc.
I hope no one reads this as me being a supporter of TVA's aquatic plant spraying period. I have opposed the program since the early 1970's including sometimes when I should have kept my mouth shut (the grass carp incident in Guntersville).
Bill Reeves
TWRA Division of Biodiversity
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Harold Sharp, retired Tournament Director for BASS and longtime clean water advocate, was one of the primary protest organizers against TVA's spraying.
Bill Reeves explains the TVA weed problems, he was involved when it started and after extensive study and sound logic people like Bill Reeves and David Webb know why the aquatic plants grow and disappear in TVA lakes.
We wish that TVA had looked at this problem like biologists instead of listening to the people who had herbicide to sell. We were involved in this weed war for many years, had many conversations with TVA personal and always found David Webb a person we could get straight answers from.
We were convinced many years ago that TVA was spending money on "make work" projects, that they were listening to herbicide salesmen instead of biologists who spend years studing these problems and have nothing to gain from herbicide sales.
As Bill Reeves states, mother nature solved the problem with some stained water for several months and it most likely will return with a weather change. But the thing that shut down TVA's weed problem and make work project was a budget cut, someone cut off the endless supply of money and the herbicide salesmen moved to other projects.
The anglers protests created some bad PR for TVA and should always be something that can be used when people with an unlimited supply of money get out of line, such as filling our lakes with dangerous chemicals.
We are fortunate to have people like Bill Reeves and David Webb who are concerned with this and the anglers who will always try to protect their fishing waters.
Harold Sharp
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