EUFAULA, Ala. — With little public notice, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has begun removing navigation markers from Lake Eufaula/Walter F. George, a 45,000-acre impoundment filled with hazardous submerged timber, stump-covered flats and shallow shoals.
“The impact on the city of Eufaula will be huge,” said Jim Howard, Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation conservation director, who alerted B.A.S.S. to USCG action and is leading a campaign to stop it.
“Once the word gets out that Eufaula is not a safe place to boat, folks will write it off their list,” he continued. “I have a contract for a high school tournament in May and, in good conscience, I don’t think I can ask them to come to the lake if the current plan is completed.
“I certainly will not promote the lake in the future for the same reason. I expect the city and surrounding communities will lose angler/boat expenditures in the millions of dollars.”
With the impoundment on the Chattahoochee River a part of the Intracoastal Waterway, the USCG has been there for about 50 years, as part of its mission to aid navigation. But it now is pulling out its unit for financial reasons, Howard said, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has no funding to take over maintenance of the buoys.
The Corps’ primary responsibilities are maintaining the dam and keeping the channels navigable.
“We have not known about the situation for very long,” said Howard. A USCG employee alerted him to the plan and a number of city leaders confirmed the action.
The USCG, meanwhile, acknowledged that closure of the Eufaula unit is included in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2015. But Chief Petty Officer Patrick Haughey emphasized that no official decision has been made.
He added that some markers have been “thinned out,” but a marked navigation channel remains. A few were closer than required, he said.
In an attempt to keep the unit open and remaining markers in place, “lots of local folks have joined the fight,” Howard said. “Representing the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation, I have sent letters to senators and representatives, both state and federal. My fear is that time will beat us in the end.”
Millions of people fish and boat on the lake annually. In fact, the Corps reported that visits averaged 4.1 million from 2004 to 2011, with 2.7 million in 2012.
“Safety is the main issue,” Howard said. “Every angler I talk to cannot imagine the lake without buoys, even though we will fare best among boaters. There are quite a few cruisers from uplake that travel down the lake toward the Gulf.
“As I see it, boat damage and boater injury will be common. Ultimately, boater death will occur.”
——————————–
Jack Tibbs, mayor of Eufaula, says he’s on it. He called B.A.S.S. after this article was published to add his side to the story.
“The last thing we’re going to let happen is for Lake Eufaula to be unsafe,” said Tibbs, who is also a member of the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation. “Everything is currently the same as it has been. The changes in this article won’t occur for another 3 to 5 years.”
Tibbs is working with state and federal legislators to ensure safety on Lake Eufaula.