Residents seek answers for troublesome weeds

CENTER STAR - Jim and Sylvia Corbin moved to the Shoals from Chicago 10 years ago, drawn here by the beauty of the Tennessee River.

Now, they are upset by aquatic weeds collecting along the shore of Wilson Lake.

"It's a big, big mess," Jim Corbin said about the tangled mass of weeds floating around his boat house. "If this mess had been here when we were thinking about moving here, we would have never bought this house."

He said the masses of floating weeds are unsightly and hamper swimming, boating and other activities on the lake.

Sylvia Corbin said a neighbor's dog almost drowned when it became entangled in the floating weeds. "The weeds kind of snag you, and you can't get out."

Jim Corbin fears that if the water weeds go unchecked, it could deter newcomers from wanting to live along area lakes.

"They want to develop this area, but something like this could really turn you off from coming here," he said.

Tennessee Valley Authority spokeswoman Barbara Martocci said the weeds are coming from beds of southern naiad, an invasive species that grows in Wilson Lake. She said low water levels this summer have allowed aquatic weeds to proliferate on several TVA reservoirs.

Corbin and his neighbors use rakes to pull the weeds from the lake, but the floating plants keep coming back.

"It's just a losing battle," said Curtis Lindsey, who lives near the Corbins.

Corbin is frustrated that TVA has no plans for removing the floating weeds. "They tell us to call the state of Alabama."

Calling the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will probably not help, said Joe Jernigan, aquatic plants manager for the agency. "We won't mess with anything on TVA waters; that's TVA's problem."

Corbin plans to write letters to state and federal elected officials asking for their help. He hopes other residents also will write letters.

While some lake users voice frustration with the weeds, bass anglers often welcome them. Weed beds provide habitat for bass and other fish.

On Pickwick Lake, huge beds of the invasive water weeds are causing problems for some boaters.

The weeds also are blamed for downturn in camping at Brush Creek Park near Waterloo. Officials of the county-owned park said the aquatic weeds make it difficult to fish from the bank or swim.

Waterloo Mayor Jerry McIntyre occasionally hears town residents complain about the water weeds, but most have accepted TVA cannot remedy the situation.

"Anytime you have hot, dry weather, you are going to get weeds growing in the water," the mayor said. "There's not enough water flowing to keep them flushed out."

Martocci said when the drought ends and water flows on the Tennessee River return to normal, many of the aquatic weeds will be killed. In the meantime, shoreline residents who have problems accessing private boat docks can hire an aquatic weed control professional to apply chemical herbicides to the water.

As summer begins to wind down, lake users are likely to encounter large mats of floating weeds on TVA reservoirs, she said. "The boaters and Jet Skiers need to be careful and watch out for floating weeds."

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.