Conard reviewed many areas where trees have fallen into the lake and where stream bank erosion is present. The silt coming from the Green River has filled the lake over the years, she said. The mouth of Panther Creek, for example, at one time had a depth of 22 feet and now is 12 to 13 feet deep, representatives said.
Conard stressed the need to protect the county’s water resources and said the group is trying to get some projects funded.
Polk County commissioners Ray Gasperson, Renée McDermott and Ted Owens attended the tour. Gasperson said he’s been told there weren’t sedimentation issues until I-26 was constructed.
Others mentioned a former sand mining operation on the Green River that was shut down years ago, saying it could be one cause of recent sedimentation issues. Sediment used to drop in a sand pit at the mine, but since it was shut down about 18 years ago the silt now drops into Lake Adger.
The boats met in different areas and reviewed some improvements that have worked at individual properties, such as a boulder wall constructed to stop bank erosion. Joel Lent of Altamont Environmental discussed several ways to help bank erosion, including using the fallen trees as a less expensive way to approach problem areas.
The Green River was dammed in 1925 with the 87-foot-high Turner Shoals Dam to create Lake Adger. The Green River and Lake Adger area is largely undeveloped and is known for its recreational hunting, fishing (trout, bass, sunfish and muskie), kayaking, canoeing, tubing and swimming.
Officials said the lake is approximately 438 acres with 14.5 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 24 to 26 feet.
In 1996 Jim Smith purchased approximately 3,200 acres of property surrounding the lake and created the Lake Adger Development. Public access is still allowed on the lake, with restrictions on the size of boat motors allowed. Fishing, kayaking and swimming are allowed, but jet skis and waterskiing are prohibited.
“We could choose like the last 87 years to do nothing,” said Conard. “We would like to take a hard look at assessing what exactly are the problems. Are there best management practices that aren’t being fulfilled upstream? We have to talk about our natural resources.”
Polk County purchased the lake bed for $1.6 million from Northbrook Carolina Hydro LLC. Northbrook continues to operate its power plant there through a lease with Polk County for $1 per year.
Polk County owns Turner Shoals Dam, which is in need of repairs. The county has been budgeting funding annually to save for those repairs, which in 2009 engineers estimated at approximately $1.8 million. The engineers also cautioned the costs could be as much as between $2.5 million and $3.5 million depending on unit costs and contingency by the time the repairs are done.
By the end of next fiscal year, which will end June 30, 2013, Polk County is expected to have $600,000 saved for the repairs, with $200,000 included in next year’s recommended budget.