Invasive vegetation spoils recreational activities at Lake Chehaw

ALBANY – An invasion of small organisms is causing big problems on Lake Chehaw, and residents say the out-of-control vegetation has taken the fun out of water activities.

“It’s no longer a lake,” David Furman, who addressed the Dougherty County Commission about the situation on Monday morning, said. “It’s more like the Okefenokee (Swamp). Fishing, boating, anything … I’ve had to basically take everything out and not try to use it.”

Vegetation has choked the water and is making conditions more conducive to alligators, who have been appearing more frequently, the Cromartie Beach area resident said. 

“I’ve seen some seriously large alligators,” Furman said. “There’s more habitat closer in to the shore now. Normally they stick to backwaters and sloughs.”

Conditions have caught the attention of county commissioners, who say the lake isn’t just an attraction for residents who live near the manmade structure that is fed by the Flint River, Kinchafoonee Creek and Muckalee Creek. The lake is a source of hydroelectric power generation for Georgia Power Co.

The Monday discussion was over a recommendation to spend up to $275,000 of county money to restore recreational access to the lake’s shoreline. The funding would come from special-purpose local-option sales tax funds, if the work is approved by commissioners.

“This is an expensive proposition, but it is a valuable recreational asset for the county and the region as a whole,” Assistant County Administrator Barry Brooks said. “(We want) to bring it back to the recreational state we used to enjoy.”

Residents on the lake said that more frequent drawdowns could help with battling vegetation close to the shore. Leaving those areas dry during the winter, when vegetation would be exposed to frost, would help in that effort.

The frequency and timing of drawdowns are under the control of Georgia Power. Those drawdowns were at one time made every year or so, but in recent years have been on a four-year cycle, residents said.

Nearby Cox Landing also has been affected.

Commissioner Ed Newsome suggested more study before spending county money. 

The commission also could seek grant funding and assistance from the state for the boat landing, Commissioner Russell Gray said.

“I don’t think $275,000 is going to make a dent in it,” Newsome said. “We need to do a  survey of that and what it will take to do the whole thing. I would rather put some better planning into it.”

Among the invading water weeds in the lake are water primrose, water hyacinth and Lyngbya algae, according to Juston Stone, owner of Stone’s Aquatic Weed & Algae Removal.

“Alligator grass is the other big one,” he said.

Along with the destructive impact of wind and rain that Hurricane Michael brought to the region in October of 2018, it also carried unwanted vegetation that it dumped in area waterways, Stone said. Cleaning up the invasive vegetation likely will require mechanical removal and chemical applications.

“It’s going to take a couple of years to get it back right,” he said.