Restore Our Lake: Support Urgent Cleanup

I spoke to a Kenneth Weisz with TVA a couple of weeks ago (week 6 post storm). I asked when they were going to start cleanup efforts on the lake. He told me that they were assessing the situation. I told him that we all assessed the situation in the first 2 minutes following the storm. There was a ton of debris in the lake that needed to be removed. He also stated that there were no funds available at the moment. I explained that we had people willing to do our own cleanup. He told me that TVA doesn't own the lake, only the flowage rights. He couldn't give us authority to do any work on it. He said that they didn't want us going in and doing anything that could harm the environment. Really? Refrigerators, vehicles, propane tanks, homes, etc. aren't doing any damage to it? He told me that the best he could do was have us write a detailed scope of work proposed and give it to him to pass up the chain of command. We wrote that letter and submitted it. Days went by and he finally called me back. He again told me that TVA couldn't authorize anything and that I needed to contact TEMA instead. He also told me that TVA's only concern at this time was monitoring the damn. They wanted to make sure that it didn't break. If it didn't break in the hurricane, I highly doubt it was going to break in 75 degree sunny conditions. He gave me a number for TEMA. I called and was told that I needed to call another number that was set up specifically for storm damage. I called it and received a message that stated that the number had been deactivated and that if anyone needed additional help, they would have to contact their local faith-based organization. Wow. Great support from the state. If it weren't for the churches and the the community, this area would be screwed. The churches and community have stepped up to the plate and done what should have been done by those in power. So it has now been 8-1/2 weeks since the storm. Much of the debris has now sunk to the bottom of the lake. TVA is sitting in their air conditioned offices still assessing the situation and watching the damn through the window. Meanwhile what was once one of the cleanest lakes in the US is now a cesspool of garbage. The debris and lack of effort by the state has made a huge impact on the environment, marine life, and the wildlife. There is no sign of any efforts in the near future. All they care about is generating electricity, not the actual water quality.

We still have someone with barges and heavy equipment willing to remove whatever debris is still floating. They have 2 barges. Barge 1 has a capacity of 25,000 lbs. with a 9,000 lb. excavator. Barge 2 has a capacity of 20,000 lbs. He is looking for $1,800/day for a 10 hour day. This includes 2 men (himself and helper), wear and tear on the equipment, and fuel. This seems like a pretty fair price. They would get authority to burn what is burnable on private lakeside properties. We would need to raise private funding for this. I know many reached out and said that they were willing to help. I believe we need to act now before there is nothing left to clean up. If interested in helping financially, please donate to this fund and we will do all we can to help restore the lake to its original state.