Reelfoot Lake in need of new spillway

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FUTURE OF REELFOOT LAKE AT STAKE
(POLITICS AND POCKETBOOKS HOLD LAKE HOSTAGE)
by Steve McCadams
(From June 2001)
www.stevemccadams.com

Reelfoot Lake's future is at stake. The wildlife wonderland is about to run out of tomorrows.

"If we don't do something now, we could be looking at a 15,000 acre mud flat out there that would devastate the economy of this area, not to mention loosing this national treasure," said Congressman John Tanner, who headed a public meeting last Monday to lay all the facts on the table.

Key to the situation at hand is a 70-year old spillway at Tiptonville that's leaking badly, ridding the lake of precious water during summer months when rainfall is low. The structure could give way at any time, taking with it a highway bridge and millions of potential tourism dollars.

Presentations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Conservation League, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency were in harmony as to the urgency of the situation. All agree a spillway needs to be built "pronto".

There's a multitude of problems starring Reelfoot Lake in the face ranging from siltation to poor water quality. Hundreds of acres of the hunting and fishing Mecca have been lost to the encroachment of aquatic plants over the years.

A series of watershed lakes, some of which have been built and some of which are proposed, have addressed a portion of the erosion problems that have plagued this estuary for generations.

Fish and waterfowl management have often been at the mercy of the water quality and elevation. Tourism and the overall economy of the area also rely on the status of the lake as to its beauty and access. From bald eagle tours in the winter to lodging and restaurants along its shores, the lake is the lifeblood of the area.

Yet all the variables that affect the dynamic appeal of Reelfoot Lake depend upon the water. It's the spillway that carries the present and future of this phenomenal place away one drop at a time.

"We've studied Reelfoot Lake to death and this could be our last chance to save it. If we don't do it now, we might as well throw our hands up and go home," continued Tanner, who grew up around the lake area and has fish
and hunted its waters.

"Back in 1982 we formed the Reelfoot Lake task force. Kids born at that time are now old enough to vote and we still haven't addressed the needs and problems."

The Corps of Engineers made a clear and detailed presentation of what they feel needs to be done and how they would do it. A model plan addressing the worse case scenarios of floods and drought, along with consideration upstream and downstream for farmers tilling lowlands, was part of the equation.

A series of circulation channels on the lake to improve flow between what are now stagnant areas would be part of the improvements. Yet all the ideas of the plan hinge on the spillway construction first. Without it, the whole project is a moot point.

So what's the holdup? Why haven't the longstanding needs of Reelfoot Lake been addressed sooner?

To some degree the project is being held hostage by a few landowners on the Kentucky side of the fence where, according the Corps of Engineers studies, some 14 acres of land could be affected in summer.

Kentucky's congressional delegation, lead by Congressman Ed Whitfield,has voted to block federal funding of the project, an apparent move to support a small group of landowners.

State and local agencies in Tennessee said they simply do not have the funds and without a federal partner, the project cannot proceed. The Corps says it cannot implement the project without congressional support, namely funds earmarked for the Reelfoot Lake project.

Corps officials say it's a $31 million tab. Every agency from TWRA to Ducks Unlimited has endorsed it. Tourism needs it. Anglers and hunters want it. Area resorts and county governments are begging something be done. Even the highway department says the crossing is a safety issue that could be devastating if the spillway blew out.

There's so much at stake here that most folks just shake their head in disgust and wonder why it has taken so long to address the issues. With every problem has come another hurdle to clear; another hoop to jump through and another price tag attached where politics and pocketbooks are part of the equation.

Congressman Tanner laid it on the line and told it like it was. This may well be "Custer's Last Stand" for Reelfoot Lake.

Tanner has long been a friend to Reelfoot Lake and did a great job of addressing the situation and updating the public on the area while emphasizing the need for spillway construction. He clearly defined the spillway as being the first building block toward Reelfoot's recovery.

He assembled an impressive list of agencies whose presentations clearly support the improvement projects. Anyone who attended cannot doubt the procrastinations of the past, which have lead to the degradation.

Far from the lily pads, cypress trees, bluegill beds and nests of osprey is where the fate of this mystic area will be decided. In the coming weeks Tennessee's congressmen and senators will have to exercise clout and pull a few strings to see this thing through.

It's a five-year project, say officials that should have been started long ago. Meanwhile, a dilapidated, 70-year old concrete structure where rusty gates threaten to give way at anytime will have to wait a little longer. Folks here pray it holds back the water as their hopes and dreams ride the trickles that leak below, around, and above this antiquated
structure.

Reelfoot Lake is living on borrowed time. And the clock has about ticked out.

For more information on Reelfoot Lake, visit:
Reelfoot Lake Outdoors

Steve McCadams
is a professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area and host of The Outdoor Channel's television series IN-PURSUIT.

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