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01 January 2006 |
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Pick Up Sticks AEP’S Skimmer Crew Helps Remove Debris From SML Waters By Jerry Hale
It’s an unpleasant and sometimes alarming sight – and hardly a game: The shimmering surface of Smith Mountain Lake marred by ugly floating debris. Sometimes it’s worse than ugly – it’s dangerous, half-submerged logs and dock timbers heavy enough to crinkle a prop or even hole a hull that encounters them.
Despite the best efforts of Lakers to keep personal and household trash from blowing or washing into the water, there’s a fairly steady stream of trash and floatables — not to mention construction debris — making its way into the watershed. The problem is especially evident up near the headwaters of our rivers and creeks. It’s at its worst in the spring, prior to the annual Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake Cleanup Day, which is organized by SMLA (Smith Mountain Lake Association), TLAC (Tri-County Lake Administrative Commission) and the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce. The event, which takes place the first Saturday in May, sees residents turn out in droves to scoop out tons of floating eyesores that have accumulated over the winter.
Fortunately, the effort to keep the Lake’s surface pristine is significantly augmented by AEP’s industrial-strength garbage scow. Known simply as “The Skimmer” to her crew of 4-5, she’s a 50-foot diesel-powered Pacman of the waterways that gobbles up plastic bottles, tree stumps, building materials and other shoreline goobers. The Skimmer then transfers the waste via conveyor belt up to a sawing perch – where big logs are cut down to more manageable size — and drops it into a holding bin for transport to a waiting shoreline dumpster. Not exactly new technology, but it serves its purpose admirably.
“The boat spends 80 percent of its operating time on Smith Mountain Lake and the rest at Leesville,” said Ken Stump of AEP’s Shoreline Management Group. “We scoop out about 10 to 12 tons of trash in a day. That’s enough to make a real dent in the problem, but we could do so much more if there were more boat ramps available for use. We’re limited by having so few places where we can offload what the Skimmer gathers.”
TLAC’s Pam Dinkle, who tabulates resident debris complaints and directs the Skimmer to the neediest areas, elaborated: “Eight years ago, there were ten public and neighborhood ramps where AEP was welcome to locate the collection dumpster, sometimes blocking casual access for up to 10 weeks at a time. Now, with so many people needing the ramps for boat launching, we have only a couple places where AEP can base its clean-up operations.”
“That means a whole lot more unproductive running time,” said Skimmer skipper Tommy Howard, “and the boat’s not nearly as fast as she is ugly.”
Stump put the Skimmer’s mission into perspective: “Since acquiring this machine in 1991 (AEP used a smaller “Water Witch” prior to that), our first priority has been removal of debris from the channels.” AEP shares this duty with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which has official responsibility for “navigation hazards.”
“That keeps us more than busy,” Stump said. “One boat simply can’t meet the demand for aesthetic cleanup. But it really helps when people tell TLAC where debris has collected. It’s also why what residents do during the annual Lake Cleanup Day is such an important assist.”
Laker readers can report floating debris by calling TLAC at 721-4400 or emailing
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Registration forms for the Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake Cleanup Day (May 6 this year) are available at the SMLA, TLAC and Chamber offices. Individuals, families, neighborhoods, companies and organizations are all encouraged to sign up. Call some friends or neighbors and plan to make it a fun spring outing. It’s the least we can do to help keep SML beautiful and get it ready for safe summer fun!
Weed Treatment Contractors Also Help Keep SML Inviting Keeping SML free of invasive (or just plain yucky) weeds is another ongoing Lake maintenance task. The most ecologically critical part — stopping the really bad actors from getting a destructive foothold – is administered by TLAC using a contractor who tracks down proven-invasive species (such as curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian water-milfoil) from an Everglades-style airboat that does not stir up the vegetation being treated.
TLAC welcomes resident reports of suspected infestations. If analysis confirms a sample represents a species currently being treated under TLAC’s contract, the airboat crew will be dispatched to nip it in the bud.
“They begin working in May and are on the Lake a few days every six weeks or so — whatever it takes to make sure the invasive varieties don’t get established in our beautiful water,” said TLAC’s Pam Tinkle.
If a sampled weed species turns out to be simply ugly, TLAC provides homeowners or neighborhood associations with a list of contractors who are qualified to treat the offending vegetation.
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Last Updated ( 11 June 2007 )
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