Grass Spraying Issue

With this year being one of transition from individuals paying for their weed control around their docks and water front areas; there has been numerous complaints that the TVA is spraying areas of the lake beyond all agreed to management control areas. This is absolutely not true and I wanted to explain my reasoning!

In a meeting this past week with members of the TVA, the Stake Holders Committee and the Marshall County Chamber I got a in your face chance to ask the questions you all are asking me. After hearing those answers I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the TVA is doing no more or less than they have done for many years!

There are just many things that the public does not know about the lake and the spraying!

1. The cost of spraying is nearly $1000 an acre and with only a million dollars to spend as a budget it is impossible for them to spray past the agreed management areas and shoreline. The lake is 69,000 acres do the math it just does not work with only 1 million dollars to spend.

2. The complaint I hear is that many of the areas of the grass gets slimy and this is a result of spraying; this also is not true! The slimy grass areas you are referencing are algae and the copper based chemical they spray kills the algae immediately and does not produce this slimy bottom!

3. Another thing that most people do not realize is that there is no State control over the spraying of the lake, in other words if a property owner or a group of property owners decide to pay out of their pocket to kill the grass in there slew or creek there is no law to stop them. Yes this is absurd but true, as other states like Tennessee have laws in place to prevent this; Alabama does not! This is happening on the lake as there are other companies working for individuals and home owner groups spraying the lake. If you want to help stop this then complain to the political factions of the State of Alabama to get a law put in place to change this.

4. Lastly you may see TVA boats running the lake and making the assumption that they are dropping chemicals as they constantly survey the lake for areas they need to treat based on the agreements with the Stack Holders Committee. Unless there yellow light is turning these boats are not dropping chemical, they may be crossing the lake, surveying it or just running to ramps to spray but it does not mean they are dropping chemical.

As I have said many times we have had a tough year with weather and this has changed the make-up of the lake; but the TVA is not killing grass beyond the agreed shorelines, boat ramps and boats paths.