By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
Appeared in Lake Magazine, April 2022 Edition

Eagerly awaiting another summer of fun in the sun and in the water, Lake Watch of Lake Martin remains committed to protecting our lake and all who recreate in the lake. Last fall, Lake Watch tested and reported high E. coli for the first time in the lake upstream of the U.S. Route 280 Bridge, above the lake’s confluence with Coley Creek. We sent out a call for help to recruit more water monitors and, to our delight, around 30 people answered the call. Since then, 17 have gone through training and been certified by Alabama Water Watch in either bacteriological monitoring or water chemistry monitoring, or both. This new batch of volunteers more than doubles the number of water monitors we now have on the lake and its watershed.

You may wonder – what’s the big deal about a few bacteria in the lake? A few are not such a big deal, but when you get 100s to 1000s per cup of lake water, and they are E. coli from feces of warm-blooded animals or humans, that becomes a problem – a public health problem. If contacted and ingested (by swallowing some contaminated water), E. coli may result in serious illness, including fever, nausea, vomiting, hemorrhagic diarrhea, anemia, dehydration, renal failure, seizures and even death (www.medicinenet.com/e_coli__0157h7/article.htm). E. coli could certainly ruin a weekend on the lake.

Lake Watch has identified about 20 strategic sites on the lake, streams and the Tallapoosa River flowing into the lake to assign to these new monitors. Several of these will be Swim Alert sites that we will upload to the Swim Guide at www.theswimguide.org. We plan to use Swim Guide as the medium to broadcast bacteriological test results to the Lake Martin community and beyond. Swim Guide is a web-based one-stop shop for swimming-area water quality information and the most popular beach information service in the world. It provides free up-to-date water quality information for more than 8,000 beaches, lakes, rivers and swimming holes throughout North America and several other countries. 

Our Swim Alert sites will be locations that are regularly used for swimming and typically have a swim beach, such as Wind Creek State Park, DARE Park, Camp Alamisco and Camp ASCCA or swimming areas on streams like the one at Hillabee Creek above the state Route 22 bridge. We plan to monitor the sites regularly and will promptly post the results on the Swim Guide website. We plan to sample monthly and after significant rain events. The post-rain event sampling is particularly important since that is when we typically find higher levels of bacterial contamination in the streams, the river and the lake. This is because of fecal material flushing off the landscape into the water with runoff during rain events.

We plan to feature the Swim Guide postings on a Swim Alert webpage on our website (www.lakewatch.org). The page, featuring the latest bacteriological test results, will be shared with Lake Martin Homeowners and Boat Owners Association, Lake Martin Resource Association, municipalities and others, so results will be widely available to the public in a timely manner. 

Our bacteriological test results will be posted as easy-to-interpret icons used by Swim Guide: green for safe – go swimming; and red for not safe – stop and consider swimming elsewhere since the water is contaminated with E. coli. Following the Alabama Department of Environmental Management standard, an E. coli concentration above 235 per 100 milliliters (approximately a cup of water) is unsafe for human contact. 

View an example of a Swim Guide beach webpage for Lake Jackson in Florala, Alabama, that reported safe swimming conditions at www.theswimguide.org/beach/5394. The green swim icon tells you that bacterial contamination (E. coli) was below the level that would be a health risk to swimmers. Note: The icon indicates ‘historical status.’ When viewing Swim Guide reports, check the date below the icon for when the water was tested – the most recent Florala data was from October 2021 (bacteriological testing in Alabama at swim areas isn’t usually done in the winter, as folks aren’t swimming then). 

We believe the Swim Alert will help keep everyone safer as we work to resolve bacterial contamination issues that arise. We anticipate that the vast majority of the time throughout the lake, we will not find significant contamination in the water since our lake is a very clean lake. But when contamination is detected, we want to protect the public as best we can through Swim Alert, so folks could avoid contaminated waters.

Our ultimate goal beyond Swim Alert is to work toward tracking down bacterial contamination sources as they occur and resolving them at their sources. For updates on all of Lake Watch’s efforts, join us at our annual meeting on April 24. Visit our website for details. I hope to see you there.

Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin.

Lake Watcher

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin                                                    No. 58, February 2022 
by Eric Reutebuch

2021 Achievements:

·   31 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in Lake Martin and its Watershed

·   Added 4 new uper lake sites to assess bacterial contamination

·   280 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database 

·   Contributed data to ADEM 303d list

·   Recruited 11 new water monitors 

·   Partnering with AU on watershed bacteria investigation

·   Investigated graphite processing operation coming to Kellyton


Lake Watch Officers*:

Eric Reutebuch…President

Matt Campbell….Vice-president

Dianna Porter…...Secretary

Janne Debes…….Treasurer



LW Board of Directors:

Joanne Walker        Dick Bronson          

Myrna Lehman      Laurie Barrett

Tom Collier           Jesse Cunningham

Bill Butler

(*Lake Watch officers also serve on board)


Annual Meeting

 The Lake Watch annual meeting will be held on:

 Sunday, April 24, 2022

1-3:30 pm (registration 1-1:30 pm; program 1:30-3:30 pm)

Red Ridge United Methodist Church

8091 Co Rd 34, Dadeville, AL

 We are pleased to have Dr. Bill Deutsch, founder and long-time director of Alabama Water Watch, as our guest speaker, who will give us an overview on 30 years of watching the water on Lake Martin. The meeting is contingent upon covid conditions, we will meet if we can do so safely. We are looking forward to some new faces on our board, as some folks that have served for many years are rotating off. Masking will be encouraged. I’ll keep you posted as the time grows near.

Letter from the President

 It goes without saying that 2021 was another very challenging year! I hope and pray that all of you and your families made it through safely! In spite of the pandemic, Lake Watchers were busy in their efforts to protect our treasured lake.

 Matt and Ann Campbell continue watershed monitoring above the lake, now into its third year. The effort is focused on streams, Crooked, Emuckfaw, Timbergut, and Hillabee, flowing into the Tallapoosa River (which flows into Lake Martin) that are being populated with chicken houses (at last count two years ago, around 120 houses). Data thus far shows:

·        high bacterial concentrations in the water after significant rainfall/runoff events,

·        high E. coli and high levels of yet unidentified bacteria characterized by turquoise colonies during these events.

The Auburn University bacteria study led by Dr. Yucheng Feng began last September to help verify bacterial loading into streams above the lake, and to help identify the sources of the bacteria. Dr. Feng and her graduate student Wenjing Ren have been sampling alongside Matt and Ann in the watershed above the lake. We are eagerly awaiting their microbial source tracking results from the streams and the river to shine some light on the sources of the bacterial contamination.

 As you may recall, we measured high bacterial concentrations downstream, in the upper end of Lake Martin last fall (see E. coli prompts call for swim alerts, Alexander City Outlook, 12/21/2021). This event, which occurred after a high rain event, made us realize two things: 1) the need for more monitors and monitoring; and 2) the need for an efficient way to get the word out to the public when we find high E. coli in the lake and other water-recreation areas. I put out a call for help to Lake Watch members, and Harry DeNegre, Lake Martin HOBO president, sent the call out to the HOBO membership. I was very pleased at the response – nearly 30 folks offered to help monitor! Eleven got trained by Alabama Water Watch in December and will begin monitoring this spring. THANK YOU to AWW, HOBO, and to all the folks that stepped up to protect our lake!

 We are focusing on Swim Guide as the medium to broadcast our bacteriological test results to the Lake Martin community. Swim Guide is a web-based one-stop shop for swimming-area water quality information. I added two swim beaches on Lake Martin – Wind Creek and Dare Park, several years ago, see www.theswimguide.org/find/ . We plan to add several more, monitor them regularly, and post the results on Swim Guide. The postings will be made available on various websites so that the Lake Martin community can access the information easily. We believe this will help keep everyone safe as we work to resolve bacterial contamination issues that arise.

 In addition to the watershed monitoring, our monitors continue to diligently test sites throughout the lake. This is not only crucial for detecting any negative impacts from pollutants coming from the watershed down the Tallapoosa River, but also crucial for detecting impacts from potential sources from streams that flow directly into the lake.

 In response to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) call for input for compiling their 2022 303(d) list of impaired streams, we pulled together our Lake Watch data and sent it to ADEM, along with recommendations to consider adding several watershed streams above the lake to the 303(d) list, since we have measured high E. coli in them on several occasions. The Draft 303(d) List (see www.adem.alabama.gov/programs/water/303d.cnt )  was recently released by ADEM, and one of those streams is now listed – Hillabee Creek. We are pleased that Lake Watch data is being used to alert ADEM to pollution issues in our watershed and will continue our interactions with ADEM to resolve these issues. We are also concerned to see that Blue Creek has been added to the draft list for E. coli – we need to investigate this further. Other listings include Coley Creek for excess nutrients (presumably from the wastewater treatment plant discharge there) resulting in high chlorophyll a/algae concentrations, and Elkahatchee Creek for mercury prompting a fish consumption advisory from the Alabama Department of Public Health. 

We were very concerned last fall when we learned that the graphite mining operation in the Weogufka area to the west would be processing their ore in Kellyton and the processing wastewater would flow to Lake Martin. I contacted Mayor Baird to discuss our concerns and learn about the proposed operation. We had a very productive meeting with city officials and Alabama Graphite and got all of our questions answered. We came away feeling that the lake will not be adversely impacted as long as construction and operation go as planned and wastewater contaminants stay within permitted limits – we remain observant.

 In closing, after serving two terms, I am hanging up my spurs as president. I feel that new blood is needed to continue the good work of the group. I will rotate to the Lake Watch board and continue working to advance the goals of lake and watershed stewardship as best I can. I am optimistic that 2022 is going to be a productive year for Lake Watch and for our lake. I’ve seen a growing interest in protecting our treasured lake and hope to see a growth in our membership and watershed stewardship activities. Y’all stay safe and I hope to see you at our annual meeting!

 Elections

 The Lake Watch board met via Zoom on January 24, 2022 to discuss our plans for this year. We had a good meeting to discuss our goals and objectives to strengthen Lake Watch and to continue the protection of our Treasured Lake. We had three board members retire from the board: Jesse Cunningham (with his better half Barbara, left picture) and Tom Collier (middle picture) and Laurie Barrett (right picture). I extend my heart-felt appreciation to Jesse, Tom and Laurie for their many years of service) – THANK YOU!

    
The Lake Watch board received the nomination of MATT CAMPBELL (pictured below) for our new president! Matt and Ann have monitored for years. Matt has served on the board, led our Legal Committee, advocated for our lake at ADEM in Montgomery, and is leading the monitoring efforts in our watershed bacteriological monitoring of watershed streams above the lake. THANK YOU Matt for stepping up!

 The Lake Watch board also received nomination of Bill Butler (pictured on left) for vice-president. Bill has monitored for several years, served on the board and worked on the Legal Committee. THANK YOU Bill for stepping up!

 And THANK YOU to all of our officers and board members that re-upped for another term: Dianna Porter, Janne Debes, Dick Bronson, Myrna Lehman, Joanne Walker for your efforts, ideas and actions in advancing our Lake Watch goals!

 Budget

 At our January board meeting, our Treasurer, Janne Debes, reported that for 2021 Lake Watch had more funds come in but we had bigger expenses. We had 126 dues-paying members. We started 2021 with $5,768 and ended the year at $5,570. The biggest expense, as usual, was our monitoring supplies, $2,478. The second largest expense were contributions in support of Dr. Feng’s bacteriological study, $2,155 (to support the study plus additional testing in upper Lake Martin).

 We anticipate additional expenditures this year for: supplying our 11 new monitors with testing supplies, conducting some new tests for other pathenogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Enterococcus), and possibly having Dr. Feng run more microbial source tracking analyses beyond the scope of the current study. Thus, we will be actively seeking more funding this year – all contributions are most welcome. A big THANK YOU to all who support Lake Watch through annual dues and donations, especially our Silver, Gold and Platinum donors! We couldn’t operate without your support!

 Water Monitoring

The Lake Watch volunteer water monitors continue to watch over our lake through their diligent monthly water testing. They conducted 280 water tests (167 water chemistry records and 113 bacteria records). Our 31 Lake Watch monitoring are mapped below; green=active sites, red=inactive sites; a few of our new sites have not yet been updated to green on the map), from Crooked Creek (the lake’s headwaters near Lineville) down to the Martin Dam. I am happy to report that our volunteer water monitors’ data, for the most part, showed good water quality throughout the boundaries of the lake. There were however some violations of ADEM water quality standards.

The violations were all due to fecal contamination measured as elevated E. coli levels in the water. E. coli measurements ranged from 0 – 6,700 E. coli per 100 mL of water (or 3 ½ ounces, about half a cup). Of the 113 E. coli measurements, 26 (23%) were above the ADEM standard: 235 E. coli/100 mL maximum for waters used for swimming and other whole-body contact (see table below showing dates when E. coli were above the standard).

 Most of these high E. coli measurements occurred in streams (not the lake), which also showed the highest levels of contamination. Very high values (ranging from 1,067 – 6,700) were measured in Timbergut, Emuckfaw, Crooked, Little Sandy and Sandy creeks.

 E. coli concentrations above the ADEM standard were occasionally measured in the lake at five different locations (see map below):

 Lake above Hwy 280 bridge: 

1. above Andrew Jackson & below confluence with Hillabee Creek

 2. above the confluence of the lake with Coley Creek

 Lake below Hwy 280 bridge: 

3. at Gatewood Dr on Blue Creek Embayment

 4. at Kowaliga boat ramp near Kowaliga Bridge

 5. at Kowaliga Marina near Kowaliga Bridge

 We are continuing our work to not only identify areas in the lake and its watershed that are contaminated with fecal matter (E. coli), but also working to identify where the contamination is coming from and get the perpetrators to clean up their act.

 As you may know, we’ve expanded our sampling into the watershed above the lake, led by Matt and Ann Campbell. Last year, we worked with Dr. Feng, an AU professor specializing in microbiology, and her graduate student Wenjing in securing a grant to study bacteria in streams and the Tallapoosa River above the lake. They are employing microbial source tracking (MST) to aid in identifying where the bacteria are coming from (see Lake Watch goes hi-tech with AU microbiologist, July 2021 Lake Magazine, www.lakewatch.org/Lake-Magazine-Articles). They have been sampling alongside Matt and Ann since September of last year.

 Side-by-side testing has thus far verified that high levels of E. coli are flowing down the streams above the lake, particularly after rain events; and that the E. coli are flowing down the Tallapoosa River into the upper end of Lake Martin (see E. coli prompts call for swim alerts, Oct 21, 2021 Alexander City Outlook, www.lakewatch.org/News).

 We also have preliminary source tracking data that indicate humans, cattle and chickens were the sources of the E. coli entering the upper lake last fall. We will have a much better picture of sources when we get the full MST dataset from the various streams being test – Crooked Creek, Emuckfaw Creek, Timbergut Creek, Hillabee Creek, and the Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend. We’ll keep you posted.

 Matt, risking life and limb for our lake.               

Ann and Wenjing sampling Timbergut Creek

 Let’s look at water chemistry data. Examination of the 167 water chemistry data records indicated no issues with dissolved oxygen (DO) in the lake or in any of the streams being monitored. DO measurements ranged from 5.2 – 11.1 parts per million (ppm; which is the same as mg/Liter). DO is critical in maintaining aquatic life. If DO drops below 5 ppm, aquatic life suffers, and if the drop is severe (down to ~ 1 ppm) fish will die.

Water hardness and alkalinity generally indicate the amount of limestone dissolved in the water. Hardness and alkalinity measurements can be dramatically increased from point source (for example, textile mill effluent) and nonpoint source pollutants (for example, ag lime washed off fields). Hardness in the lake and streams ranged from 10 – 40 in the lake and streams with a single high value of 70 in Sandy Creek. The lake typically ranged from 10 – 30, indicating a soft-water lake. The higher values occurred in some of the streams that were influenced by pollutants.

Alkalinity ranged from 15 – 50 ppm. The lake typically ranged from 15 – 30 ppm, which also indicates a soft-water lake. The higher values occurring in some of the streams.

pH, the measure of the acidity or basicity of the water, ranged from 6.5 – 8.5 in the lake and streams. This range falls within the optimal range for healthy fish and other aquatic critter growth.

Turbidity and Secchi disk measurements indicated that the water was turbid/muddy on occasion, typically in the streams and embayments, and in the mainstem lake after heavy rains.

Overall, water chemistry measurements indicated a healthy lake with no significant water quality issues relative to the water chemistry parameters measured.

We are excited about our 11 new water monitors that will start monitoring this spring. We have worked up a list of priority sites for them on the lake and on streams flowing into the lake, especially emphasizing swimming areas such as DARE Park, Wind Creek State Park, Camp Alamisco, and Camp ASCCA. These areas are particularly important since lots of folks swim at these places all summer long (see map below).

 Join me in giving a big THANK YOU to all of our 2021 Lake Watch volunteer monitors:

S  Allen Sneed                                      

S  Bill Butler                     

S  Matt & Ann Campbell             

S  Joanne Walker                        

S  Edwin Eiswerth                       

S  Kathryn Braund

S  Mike Guillot                                     

S  Janne Debes

S  Eric Reutebuch

S  Connie Wheatley

S  Paul Sullivan

Swim Alert

When we detected high E. coli in the upper lake for the first time last September, we realized that we needed an efficient way of getting our results out to the Lake Martin community to help protect the public from contacting pathogenic fecal bacteria and getting sick. The Coosa Riverkeeper has been using the Swim Guide (www.theswimguide.org) as their medium to efficiently post their bacteria test results and disseminate them to the public (see coosariver.org/swimguide). We plan to do the same for priority sites like swim beaches (DARE Park, Wind Creek State Park, etc.) starting this year. We are working on identifying all priority sites that we want to include as our Lake Watch Swim Guide sites and recruiting monitors to test them regularly for E. coli so that we can post them on Swim Guide and get the results out to the public in a timely manner. We’ll keep you posted.

 Lake Watch Environmental Education Efforts

As you can imagine environmental education efforts were stifled last year because of the pandemic. None-the-less, efforts will resume when it is safe to once again gather with students and community members. We’ll keep you posted.

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word about Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate – give your neighbor a Lake Watch brochure and a pep talk. Help sign up new members to our team! Consider becoming a monitor or a trainer. Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water, or teach in a classroom, or give a presentation, but each member is essential to our success. We welcome your suggestions/ideas on how to better protect our lake from emerging threats.
Together, we can make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 30 years. Go visit your neighbor and convince him or her to sign up. Signing up is easy, just go to our website, www.lakewatch.org and click the menu item ‘Get Involved’, you’ll be glad you did!

Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!

·     Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!

·     And ask a neighbor to do the same!

For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already paid their dues for 2022, THANK YOU!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to pay/join online (preferred) or send your check to:

P. O. Box 72, Alexander City, AL 35010

Membership levels are listed below:

Regular dues (annual):     Student  $15      Individual  $20         Family  $30

Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50      Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

We also welcome donations of any amount.  Don't forget – a donation in someone's honor/ memory is a lovely tribute.

    P. O.  Box 72

  Alexander City, AL 35010

By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, January 2022 Edition

I was shocked and dismayed several weeks ago to learn that a Coosa County graphite mining venture I’d been hearing about was going to build their processing plant in Kellyton, just west of Alexander City, and planned to pump their industrial wastewater to Alexander City for discharge into our Treasured Lake. After being alerted to this by none other than the Eagle-eye Campbells (Matt and Ann), we’ve been taking a crash course on graphite mining and processing. That’s difficult because currently there are zero graphite processing plants in the U.S.

Most of the world’s graphite comes from China. As you may know, China is not known for its environmental stewardship. The following article even deepened our concerns about graphite production coming to our area – a real environmental horror story: Google ‘graphite mining pollution in China.’

The mining operation is going to be over in the Rockford area, about 20 miles west of Alexander City in Coosa County. Alabama Graphite Products, a subsidiary of Westwater Resources, Inc., acquired mineral rights to more than 43,000 acres northwest of Rockford in Coosa County several years ago. Mining operations are scheduled to start in 2028. The processing plant is slated to begin processing graphite ore shipped in from another source in 2023.

On the positive side, the proposed plant will be the first of its kind in the U.S. and will provide a domestic source of graphite to meet the expanding demand for lithium ion batteries. These batteries require a lot more graphite than lithium to manufacture. We all love our cellphones, laptops, cordless lawncare tools, power tools and hybrid/electric vehicles (my Kia Niro SUV is great ~ 50 miles per gallon); thus, it is highly advantageous to have domestic sources of lithium ion battery components. 

To assess possible impacts to our beloved lake, we gathered all the graphite mining articles we got via Google, contacted professors at AU and poured through ADEM and EPA regulations, which had nothing on graphite processing as, until now, it hasn’t existed in the U.S. We contacted Alexander City and set up a meeting to discuss our concerns.

Mayor Baird and Gerard Brewer, the city engineer, responded to Lake Watch’s concerns and set up a meeting with city engineers, the mining company, Alabama Graphite Products and Jacobs Engineering. We met on the first of December at the Alexander City Municipal Complex. Our Lake Watch Legal Committee – Matt Campbell, Bill Butler, Dick Bronson, Jesse Cunningham and I – submitted a list of questions that addressed our concerns. We were accompanied by the Lake Martin Homeowners and Boat Owners president, Harry DeNegre. We were particularly concerned about this mining waste negatively impacting the lake. 

Representatives from Alabama Graphite Products presented detailed information on the processing of the graphite ore. Their method is a new, more environmentally friendly method, which they are in the process of patenting. They also presented information as to the treatment of their wastewater. To our relief, they will have a wastewater pretreatment plant onsite. The pretreatment will neutralize the wastewater, filter it and recycle processing chemicals before it is pumped to the Alexander City Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The graphite wastewater pretreatment plant requires a State Indirect Discharge permit from Alabama Department of Environmental Management before it is allowed to operate. This was also good news, since the SID permit requires that all contaminants in the wastewater must be within safe limits. Thus, the wastewater that will be pumped to the Sugar Creek treatment plant will be safe, assuming the permit requirements are met, and the wastewater will not adversely impact the lake. The permit must be renewed every five years or when changes are made to the processing facility. Overall, good news.

We also learned about the transport pipe system, which is being designed by Jacobs Engineering, formerly CH2M Hill. They have provided engineering services to the city since 1975. They informed us that there is no inter-basin transfer of water, as although the Kellyton graphite plant is in the eastern-most part of the Coosa Basin, the processing water comes from Alexander City and the wastewater returns to the city, which is in the Tallapoosa Basin. They also informed us that the volume of wastewater from the graphite plant will be relatively small, about 0.17 million gallons per day; whereas, the Sugar Creek plant has several mgds of its 8.5 mgd capacity currently unused.

We left feeling grateful to Mayor Baird and the City for the opportunity to voice our concerns and get answers. We also were especially grateful that the answers we got were what we wanted to hear : Onsite pretreatment that will be regulated to meet water quality standards.

We will continue to monitor this new development and thoroughly examine the graphite processing plant SID permit when it is issued to verify that no bad pollutants will come into Lake Martin. We’ll keep you posted. And as usual, we’d love to have you come aboard – visit www.lakewatch.org for info on how to join Lake Watch Lake Martin

Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin

by:  Eric Reutebuch, President  Lake Watch
 Appeared in July 2021 issue of Lake Magazine

In the past year, Lake Watch of Lake Martin reported high levels of E. coli (fecal contamination) flushing off the watershed in streams above the lake. This presents a bacterial contamination risk to our Treasured Lake, which is something nobody wants. Lake Watch uses the Coliscan Easygel bacterial plating method, supported by Alabama Water Watch, to test for E. coli, the bacteria that indicate fecal contamination from warm-blooded animals. The test is easy, reliable and affordable (about $3 per test); however, it does not give information on the source of fecal contamination.

Enter Auburn University professor Dr. Yucheng Feng and her enterprising graduate student Wenjing Ren. I had collaborated with Dr. Feng over the past few decades before I retired from AU. She is a top-notch microbiologist in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences at AU and an expert in microbial source tracking. MST refers to scientific analysis of genetic material of microbes (like E. coli) that originated in the gut of a warm-blooded animal and was passed via feces into the environment, in this case a stream or our lake. 

Lake Watch contacted Dr. Feng last year, inquiring about conducting MST analyses to assist in determining the source of fecal contamination originating above the lake. Dr. Feng’s energetic grad student, Wenjing, penned a proposal, in collaboration with Lake Watch and Lake Martin HOBO, for a United States Geological Society grant to analyze fecal contamination in the Lake Martin watershed using MST. She will work in conjunction with Lake Watch volunteer monitors to collect samples from key streams above the lake and then return to Dr. Feng’s AU lab. Under Dr. Feng’s direction, Wenjing will conduct MST using polymerase chain reaction analyses. 

“Eric, quit using those big words”, you’re probably saying. And, what the heck is PCR analysis? Sorry – I can’t tell you. You’ll have to attend our Lake Watch annual meeting this October and ask the professor (details to come, see lakewatch.org for more info). What I can tell you is that PCR has revolutionized the diagnosis and monitoring of genetic disorders, the analysis of ancient DNA in archeological studies, the analysis of genetic fingerprinting in forensic science and parental testing and detection of pathogens (like, in our case, certain fecal bacteria) in nucleic acid tests for the presence of pathogens and/or diagnosis of infectious diseases. I can also tell you that these analyses of streams flowing into the Tallapoosa River above the lake will go a long way in telling us the source of the fecal contamination. PCR can distinguish whether the fecal bacteria come from human, cattle, chicken or other animal sources. This information, once obtained for each stream, will enable us to work toward resolving the contamination by working with landowners, watershed managers, local and state government and other waste management entities.

The last thing you want to think about as you take a cool dip in our Treasured Lake is fecal contamination. We think that, with the help of AU scientists, you won’t have to. Consider joining us in our ongoing efforts in watershed stewardship to keep our lake clean. Go to lakewatch.org and come aboard. 

~ Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin

By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, April 2021 Edition

The first two negative impacts are fairly obvious. I’ll elaborate on the third, increased pollution. Residential construction need not have a negative impact on the lake when done properly. There are regulations in place that, when properly followed, eliminate most of the negative effects. Pollution occurs when irresponsible actors do not follow the rules. An example was detailed in my Lake magazine article titled Build Responsibly (July 2019). The article also listed construction regulations that protect the lake from pollution. Note, these regulations are not optional – they are enforceable. 

Adverse impacts from lakeside construction consist primarily of increased runoff during significant rain events. The slopes around the shoreline tend to be somewhat steep, so when it rains, runoff containing red clay flows quickly into the lake. The amount of runoff is amplified when the land is stripped of trees, underbrush, leaf litter and humus. Due to the very fine particle size and electric charge of clay soil particles, clay takes a long time, typically weeks, to settle out of the water column. It is not only unsightly, turning the water a reddish-brown color, but also harmful to the aquatic environment. Clay turbidity reduces light penetration in the water, thus disrupting the natural growth of aquatic organisms that act to cycle nutrients and generate natural food for fish. It’s also not fun to swim and boat in and can be dangerous. The turbidity tends to hide obstacles, such as rocks, stumps and logs that lurk just below the water’s surface.

Adverse impacts from lakeside construction consist primarily of increased runoff during significant rain events. The slopes around the shoreline tend to be somewhat steep, so when it rains, runoff containing red clay flows quickly into the lake. The amount of runoff is amplified when the land is stripped of trees, underbrush, leaf litter and humus. Due to the very fine particle size and electric charge of clay soil particles, clay takes a long time, typically weeks, to settle out of the water column. It is not only unsightly, turning the water a reddish-brown color, but also harmful to the aquatic environment. Clay turbidity reduces light penetration in the water, thus disrupting the natural growth of aquatic organisms that act to cycle nutrients and generate natural food for fish. It’s also not fun to swim and boat in and can be dangerous. The turbidity tends to hide obstacles, such as rocks, stumps and logs that lurk just below the water’s surface.

In the Build Responsibly article mentioned above, I listed seven bulleted procedures that a builder needs to follow to prevent polluted runoff from flushing into the lake. They include obtaining an ADEM permit, installing needed BMPs (best management practices, such as silt fencing), maintaining BMPs, etc. For lot owners and builders, information on permitting, proper BMP placement and maintenance, management of the construction site, required inspections and reporting is available on the ADEM Construction Stormwater webpage at adem.alabama.gov/programs/water/constructionstormwater.cnt. Scroll down the page to see Priority Construction Sites. All lots along the Lake Martin shoreline are Priority Construction Sites and have more stringent requirements and increased protective measures against nonpoint source pollution from construction sites. Thank you, ADEM.

Lakeside construction sites are typically on fairly steep clay soil slopes and require regular BMP maintenance, such as silt fence repairs, additional application of bare ground cover (straw), and potentially, a double, or even a triple silt fence to catch eroded soil (clay) from entering the lake. 

With thousands of construction projects popping up throughout the state, there is no way ADEM personnel can adequately monitor them all. Thus, it is up to us to be the eyes and ears of our lake. If you see irresponsible building practices along the lakeshore, typically a broken down silt fence with muddy water flowing into the lake, submit a report to ADEM. It is quick, easy and can be done anonymously. Note that typically what is seen in the aftermath of a heavy rain event is a blown-out silt fence with muddy residue over it, a muddy trail leading down to the lake, and muddy clay-stained water in the lake.

ADEM has a Complaints portal on its homepage (right side of the page) at adem.alabama.gov. The first thing to do when bad construction practices are seen polluting the lake is to take several digital pictures. Then, go to the ADEM Complaints portal and fill out the form; it’s straightforward and relatively painless. Be sure to upload the digital picture(s); they are truly worth a thousand words. ADEM personnel will come and inspect the site, determine if violations have occurred and, if so, will notify the property owner of the violations and the required remedies. Enforcement may involve warnings, fines and/or shutting down construction (if the builder refuses to fix the problem). 

In the example presented in the Build Responsibly article, the system worked. After an ADEM inspection, the builder promptly installed silt fencing between the construction site and the lake to catch eroding clay/dirt from entering the lake – a happy ending. Kudos to the responsible water watcher, to ADEM and to the builder for correcting the problem. 

Another major consideration during the design/build process is to incorporate low-impact development features into the residential design to minimize impervious surfaces (concrete, asphalt) and minimize runoff and nonpoint source pollution. That is a whole other topic that deserves a full article. Features to consider are lakeside buffer zones, rain barrels, rain gardens, pervious pavement (gravel, pervious pavers), to name a few. Take a look at this excellent resource produced by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for ideas and guidance so that a new home has minimal impact on the lake: Alabama Smart Yards available through ACES as an educational program (see facebook.com/AlabamaSmartYardsAlabamaExtension for details). For a pdf, go to the ACES store at store.aces.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=13591. 

We’d love to have you join the Lake Watch crew so that we can have more eyes and ears looking out for our Treasured Lake. Come aboard at lakewatch.org. 

Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin

By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
Appeared in Lake Magazine, January 2021 Edition

Lake Watch monitors could be the first line of defense

On Lake Martin, we like to think that we are ahead of the curve. We have the only Treasured Lake in Alabama, and our water is being tested regularly and watched over by Lake Watch of Lake Martin. But we cannot become complacent. This is what we don’t want to happen:

In an August 2015 article from the Burlington Free Press, Glenn Russell reported toxic conditions on the Vermont area’s Lake Champlain.

“Phosphorus runoff from farms, roads and urban areas has fueled toxic algae blooms in the lake, forcing the closure of some beaches and decreasing some lakeside property values. The EPA has mandated that Vermont clean up the lake ... We’re spending millions in this bureaucratic shell game to tout an 8 percent reduction (in pollutants), where we need an 80 percent reduction in some locations,” Russell wrote.

But, you say, we have a clean lake. Why should we be concerned? Why is Lake Watch concerned? In two previous articles this year in Lake magazine (Chickens in the Watershed, January 2020 edition and What to Watch – Lake Watch monitors a potential threat to the lake in the October 2020 edition), readers learned about the poultry houses expanding in our watershed.

Chicken litter, spread as fertilizer and flushed from the landscape by rainfall, flows into creeks that then flow into Lake Martin. Water monitors are already finding significant bacterial contamination in four of those streams above the lake. Lake Watch bacteriological monitoring done after submission of Lake Watch’s October Lake magazine article revealed the highest bacteria we’ve seen to date: 9,100 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water (about half a cup). That’s 30 times higher than ADEM’s allowable standard. This high level of E. coli was measured in Crooked Creek following a rainfall/runoff event with about 3 inches of precipitation. This means that a lot of fecal matter was flushed into the stream that empties into the Tallapoosa River, which empties into our lake. 

So, it appears that we already could have a pollution issue involving fecal/E. coli contamination, at least in the upper end of the lake following rain events. This does not seem to be the time to weaken regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs, which in our case, are poultry farms), especially as more and bigger chicken houses continue to pop up above the lake.

This situation vividly highlights a major shortcoming of the lake’s Treasured Alabama Lake designation. TAL is a valuable tool in protecting the lake from the inflow of pollutants around the lake, but it only covers the lake itself; the protected water flow starts below Irwin Shoals, where Jaybird Creek enters the Tallapoosa River. It offers no added protections against pollutants flowing down the river from the streams draining the watershed above this point. This shortfall must be addressed so that we don’t turn into another Lake Champlain.

Lake Watch wants to partner with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management in an effort to mitigate these pollutants. At a meeting held on Dec. 11, the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, which is the oversight commission for ADEM, adopted proposed changes in the regulation of CAFOs by ADEM.

The changes will establish a statewide regulatory system, which has yet to be clearly defined, in lieu of the federal NPDES regulatory system, which is currently in use. The statewide system reduces CAFO registration requirements from once a year to once every five years and reduces required farm inspections from annually to once every five years.

At Lake Watch, we think that, on its face, the new regulatory system appears to ease up on surveillance and other regulations of the poultry farms, which could lead to increased pollution of our lake. Numerous letters were written by members of Lake Watch, Lake Martin Homeowners and Boat Owners, Lake Martin Resource Association, The City of Alexander City and dozens of community members residing on the lake and/or that recreate on the lake to oppose these changes. I applaud all who let their voices be heard for the sake of the lake.

Lake Watch was well-represented at the meeting by Matt Campbell, chairperson of the Lake Watch Legal Committee. Campbell vocalized our concerns about expanding poultry farms and called for public/citizen participation in the decision-making and stewardship of Lake Martin’s watershed. He was joined by representatives from Lake Martin HOBO and LMRA who echoed similar concerns. 

Following the AEMC passage of the amendment on Dec. 11, ADEM Director Lance LeFleur wrote me a letter addressing some of the comments/concerns pertaining to the changes in regulatory oversight of poultry farms, i.e., the creation of State regulatory oversight. In his letter, which I have shared with his knowledge and permission, LeFleur made the following remarks:

“… we believe these changes will support enhanced protection of water quality in the Lake Martin watershed and other watersheds across Alabama.”

“The single biggest benefit of these regulatory changes will be to support an enhanced field presence by ADEM inspectors and allow ADEM inspectors to conduct more field inspections in lieu of being in the office and reviewing inspection reports produced by independent Qualified Credentialed Professionals (QCPs).”

“QCPs are hired by the CAFO owner … In addition, QCP inspections are announced ahead of time … In contrast, ADEM inspections are unannouncedly allowing ADEM inspectors to have a better awareness of operational deficiencies prior to them being corrected … Thus, ADEM can more effectively …  focus on complaint investigations, and (to) focus inspection efforts on specific geographical areas such as those that have been classified/designated as Treasured Alabama Lake, Outstanding Alabama Water, Outstanding National Resource Water, or Public Water Supply.”

“The State permit keeps in place all of the water quality protections afforded by the NPDES permit and the State permit is fully enforceable by ADEM.”

“… several comments submitted (that) referenced water quality data collected by Lake Watch of Lake Martin members that appeared to show elevated levels of bacteria (E. coli) in the waterways in the Lake Martin area.”

“ADEM has historically utilized data collected by citizen monitoring groups to assist in targeting its more extensive water quality monitoring efforts and will continue with that effort, to include an extensive review of the water quality data submitted as part of the public comment period for rulemaking effort.”

The ADEM response gives me comfort in knowing that 1) ADEM heard the concerns from many members of the Lake Martin community; 2) ADEM does value and use our Lake Watch water testing data; 3) ADEM has identified special waters, particularly TAL, i.e. Lake Martin, as candidates for increased attention and inspections of CAFOs in their watersheds; and 4) all existing CAFO regulations will be preserved in the new State regulatory system.

I believe it is up to the Lake Martin community to be the eyes and ears of our lake and its watershed, in coordination with ADEM. We must continue and strengthen our monitoring efforts in the watershed above the lake.

If you value our beautiful lake and want it to remain the cleanest lake in the state, I urge you to join in our efforts to monitor our watershed and work on the expansion of the TAL protections to include the whole watershed. These actions are essential in maintaining our excellent water quality. Come aboard: Join Lake Watch in protecting our Treasure. Visit lakewatch.org for more information.

~ Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin.

LAKE WATCHER

The Newsletter of Lake Watch of Lake Martin No. 56, January 2021
by Eric Reutebuch

2020 Achievements:

• 31 sites monitored for water chemistry and bacteria in the Lake Martin Watershed
• Added 5 watershed monitoring sites above the lake to assess poultry expansion's impact
• 302 data records submitted to the AWW water quality database
• Lobbied vigorously with community partners for strengthening CAFO regulations, particularly for poultry

 Lake Watch Officers*:

Eric Reutebuch, President
Matt Campbell, Vice President
Dianna Porter, Secretary
Janne Debes, Treasurer

LW Board of Directors:

Joanne Walker
Dick Bronson      
Myrna Lehman
Laurie Barrett
Tom Collier
Jesse Cunningham
Bill Butler

(*Lake Watch officers also serve on board)

Letter from the President

It goes without saying that 2020 was a very challenging year! I hope and pray that all of you and your families made it through safely! In spite of the pandemic, it was a busy and challenging year for Lake Watch after our annual meeting on February 23, 2020. The meeting went well.

We were pleased to award Zelma and Raymond DePasquale the 2020 Woodfin Martin Award in appreciation for their many efforts in environmental education at Radney Elementary, conducting Living Streams at Camp ASCCA and Birmingham, their long-time water monitoring efforts, and service on the Lake Watch Board of Directors. Congratulations Zelma and Raymond!

The 2020 Bronson Environmental Stewardship was awarded to Bruce Adams, Superintendent of Wind Creek State Park for his support and participation in the annual Lake Martin Renew Our Rivers Cleanup; his support of a bacteria testing program at the park’s public swimming beach conducted by Auburn scientists and Lake Watch volunteers in an effort to evaluate risks from bacteria for swimmers (the tests indicated no areas for concern at the Wind Creek State Park beach); his support to include the State Park’s swimming beach in an international database called Swim Guide; and his collaboration with Lake Watch in the construction of an environmental education kiosk promoting lake stewardship efforts.  Mr. Adams has been a strong advocate of environmental protection, especially for the park and Lake Martin, an environmental educator to thousands, and a partner in many Lake Watch stewardship efforts. Congratulations Mr. Adams!

We were pleased to have Lance LeFleur, Director, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, as our speaker at our last annual meeting. Director LeFleur and Richard Hulcher informed us on ADEM’s regulation of poultry production, which is greatly expanding in the Middle Tallapoosa Basin just above the lake. I consider the expansion of poultry farms above the lake to be the most significant potential threat to our lake’s water quality. Aside from our routine monthly monitoring, the poultry expansion and regulation issue consumed most of our efforts in 2020.

At that time (February 2020), we had a couple of sample results from our above-lake bacteriological monitoring program that was initiated by Matt Campbell in the fall of 2019, and is ongoing. Those samples did not indicate any high E. coli coming down the three monitored streams: Crooked, Emuckfaw, and Timbergut, that were selected to sample because of the significant numbers of poultry farms in their watersheds. One caveat – there were no significant rain events during these early sample runs.

We continued sampling, adding Hillabee Creek in August of last year, specifically during and immediately after rain events. We tried to target significant rain events that covered the whole Middle Tallapoosa Watershed (where the four streams flow through and then drain into the Tallapoosa River, which drains into the lake).  That made a BIG difference. We started seeing E. coli contamination in thousands per 100 milliliters of water (about a half-cup of water). It makes sense for the high bacteria counts to occur directly following a significant rain event since that’s when chicken manure (litter) is washed off the landscape and into nearby streams, assuming you get enough rain. The chicken litter is typically spread on fields as fertilizer – it is a good fertilizer and it adds organic matter to the soil improving soil texture. But, when it is flushed into streams, it causes bacterial contamination (E. coli, Salmonella, etc.), unwanted nutrient enrichment (increases algae blooms), and organic matter contamination (which can deplete dissolved oxygen when it decomposes in the water).

In addition to the watershed monitoring, our monitors continue to diligently test sites throughout the lake. This is not only crucial for detecting any negative impacts from pollutants coming from the watershed down the Tallapoosa River, but also crucial for detecting impacts from potential sources from streams that flow directly into the lake (Coley, Elkahatchee, Dennis, Blue, etc.).

See Water Monitoring below for more details on Lake Watch results for 2020.

Our other main activity last year was addressing the proposed changes in ADEM’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations. CAFO regulations include regulations over the ever-expanding poultry farms sprouting up in our watershed above the lake – thus we were both interested and concerned. See Lake Watch Legal Committee Efforts below for more details.

In closing, I am optimistic that 2021 is going to be a good productive year for Lake Watch and for our lake. I’ve seen a growing interest in protecting our treasured lake and hope to see a growth in our membership and watershed stewardship activities. Y’all stay safe and I hope to see you later this year!

Annual Meeting

Due to the continuing and rapid spread of the coronavirus, the Lake Watch board has decided to postpone our annual meeting. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and the rollout of the vaccine. We will plan the meeting when it is deemed safe. All, please stay safe and stay healthy.

Elections

The Lake Watch board met via Zoom on January 18, 2021 to discuss our plans for this year. We had a good meeting to discuss our goals and objectives to strengthen Lake Watch and to continue, and increase, the protection of our Treasured Lake. We had two long-time board members retire from the board: Judy Palfrey (left picture) and Zelma DePasquale (right picture). I extend my heart-felt appreciation to Judy and Zelma for their years of service – as board members, as monitors, as teachers of the public and in schools, as monitor trainer/coordinator (Judy)  and Vice President (Judy) – THANK YOU!

The Lake Watch board received a nomination for Vice President and unanimously elected MATT CAMPBELL (right picture) as our new VP! Matt and Ann have monitored for years. Matt has led our Legal Committee, and is leading the monitoring efforts in our watershed bacteriological monitoring of watershed streams above the lake. THANK YOU Matt for stepping up!

The Lake Watch board was also happy to accept Janne Debes (left picture) to a second term as Treasurer! Janne has monitored for years, has been AWW Monitor of The Year for the past couple of years, and served on our board. THANK YOU Janne for stepping up!

And THANK YOU to all of our board members for your efforts, ideas and actions in guiding our Lake Watch efforts!

Budget

Our Treasurer Janne reported to the board that for 2020 Lake Watch had fewer expenses and increased membership dues contributions. We had 126 dues-paying members. We started 2020 with $5,032 and ended the year at $5,768. I’d say we’re in good shape with one caveat: we will have additional expenditures with our plans of increased water testing in the watershed above the lake, and particularly with running genetic sourcing tests in the watershed to identify where the E. coli are coming from (which animal(s) – humans, pets, wildlife, livestock, and/or poultry). Thus, all contributions are most welcome. And a big THANK YOU to all who support Lake Watch through annual dues and donations, especially our Silver, Gold and Platinum donors! We couldn’t operate without your support!

Water Monitoring

The Lake Watch volunteer water monitors continue to watch over our lake through their diligent monthly water testing. Unfortunately, Lake Watch lost eight monitors last year ☹.  We are in need of new monitors! We also need citizen water monitor trainers! I have a list of five individuals who want to get trained as monitors – we’re just waiting for a safe time to do it. If you know of anybody that you think would be interested in water monitoring – ask them, and if they’re willing let me know and I’ll add them to my list!

In spite of the loss of monitors, water testing actually increased in 2020! Lake Watch monitors conducting 302 water tests (192 water chemistry records and 110 bacteria records) compared to 216 total records last year. Lake Watch monitoring sites also increased from 24 to 31 sites last year (see 2019 and 2020 site maps on the next page; green=active sites, red=inactive sites), from Crooked Creek (the lake’s headwaters near Lineville) down to the Martin Dam. I am happy to report that our volunteer water monitors’ data showed good water quality throughout the boundaries of the lake. No violations of ADEM water quality standards were reported.

It was a different story for the streams flowing into the lake, and those flowing into the Tallapoosa River which then flows into the lake. Our watershed sampling above the lake indicated high loads of E. coli bacteria (indicating fecal contamination in the water) during rain event sampling. We saw this repeatedly on Crooked Creek near Lineville, Emuckfaw Creek near Horseshoe Bend and Timbergut Creek near New Site, each time we sampled during rain events. All of these streams have significant numbers of poultry houses that have popped up in their watersheds, and all drain to the river that then drains to the lake. High E. coli was also seen once in the Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend.

Lake Watch will continue our sampling of these streams, as well as Hillabee Creek and the Tallapoosa River. Our citizens who recreate on these streams and rivers know how lovely they are, and indeed their water quality is very good to excellent, except at times of heavy rainfall and higher water levels. The high quality of the many tributary streams in our Tallapoosa Watershed must be preserved and protected against degradation.

Bacteria plates showing E. coli contamination (blue colonies) in Crooked Creek last October – there should be no more than 3 E. coli per plate to be within ADEM’s regulations, these had ~ 91 per plate!     E. coli counts are shown graphically below. Dashed red line indicates ADEM limit of 298 E. coli per 100 mL of water for a single sample during the warm season.

 Lake Watch submitted e-complaints to ADEM to document the high E. coli counts that were seen from three of the streams in the lake’s watershed. This alerted ADEM to the situation as well as documented the contamination in ADEM’s complaint system.

The following streams contained E. coli above ADEM’s State Fish & Wildlife standard of 298 E. coli/100 mL of water (Summer standard for single sample test). Values are averages of triplicate samples using the AWW Coliscan Easygel bacteriological test:

6/10/2020 e-complaint:
Crooked Creek at Watts residence off Berwick Rd: 1,400 E. coli/100 mL

10/20/2020 e-complaint:
Crooked Creek at Watts residence off Berwick Rd: 9,100 E. coli/100 mL;
Emuckfaw Creek at HWY 49 Bridge: 2,833 E. coli/100 mL;
Timbergut Creek at Tallapoosa CR 100 Bridge: 3,067 E. coli/100 mL

We plan to continue monitoring key streams above the lake for bacteria, specifically E. coli, along with genetic source tracking analyses to determine the source of the fecal contamination. Sampling will focus on significant rainfall/runoff events to check for potential impacts from poultry operations near these streams.

 Join me in giving a big THANK YOU to all of our Lake Watch volunteer monitors: 

• Allen Sneed
• Bill Butler 
• Matt & Ann Campbell
• Joanne Walker
• Edwin Eiswerth
• Connie Wheatley
• Mike Guillot
• Marge Johnson
• Janne Debes
• Judy Palfrey
• Eric Reutebuch
• Dianna Porter*
• John Owen*

*Pictured at right sampling at Timbergut Creek

Note that some areas of the lake still go unmonitored, particularly the tributary streams flowing directly into the lake (Coley, Elkahatchee, Dennis, Manoy, Little Kowaliga, Wind, Oakachoy, Chapman, and Parker creeks) as folks move away and long-time volunteers retire their test kits, so we are always in need of new water monitors. If you think it’s a necessity to have an insurance policy for your home and your car, think the same way about your lake – insure it through your involvement and investment in lake stewardship by becoming a Lake Watch supporter, and consider becoming a water monitor. Visit the Alabama Water Watch website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org for information on water testing and registration for free workshops held throughout the year, or email Eric at reuteem@auburn.edu.

 Lake Watch Legal Committee Efforts

 Lake Watch Legal Committee members had a busy year in 2020, focused on ADEM CAFO regulations. Eric submitted comments to ADEM in June of 2020. Three items were identified that we thought needed addressed in the annual 5-year CAFO regulations review:

1.      lack of public visibility of pending registration for new CAFOs in the state,

2.      lack of adequate vegetated stream buffers between CAFOs and streams, especially for our Treasured Alabama Lake,

3.      lack of adequate inspection and enforcement of existing CAFO regulations.

ADEM sent a response letter back saying that their existing regs were adequate.

In September, it was discovered that ADEM was proposing a new set of CAFO regulations thanks to the eagle-eye of Matt Campbell. These State CAFO regulations, if approved, would allow a CAFO operator to opt out of the existing Federal CAFO regulations. The Legal Committee, under Matt’s leadership, felt that the proposed State CAFO regulation option was not strong or protective enough to maintain clean water and went virtually unnoticed by the public and even environmental advocates. Very few people knew about this highly significant proposed shift in CAFO regulations, which could have a profound impact on our lake. The Legal Committee tried to get the word out to the greater Lake Martin area community, and asked that folks send letters to ADEM objecting to the change in regulations until the public was informed and the regulations were further strengthened. It was reported that ADEM received around 100 letters!

THANKS to all of you who raised your hands in support of the lake!

THANKS to Lake Martin HOBO and LMRA and the Alexander City Mayor and the Outlook for calling for letters to support the lake!

Well, notwithstanding those 100 letters including numerous letters from the Lake Watch President and Legal Committee, and trips to Montgomery by Matt and Jesse Cunningham, the proposed regulations were passed. For a deeper look at the results of the meeting, check out the Lake Magazine January 2021 article: ADEM promises improved oversight of 'Treasured' waters at: https://www.lakemagazine.life/lake_news/adem-promises-improved-oversight-of-treasured-waters/article_748dc5e2-5770-11eb-941f-c70d8fa29e9a.html .

All is not lost though! As a result of this, the Lake Martin community united like never before in support of clean water. We plan to strengthen community partnerships and strengthen stewardship of Lake Martin in the coming months.

Lake Watch Environmental Education Efforts

As you can imagine environmental education efforts were stifled last year because of the pandemic. None-the-less, efforts will resume when it is safe to once again gather with students and community members. We’ll keep you posted.

Trash Cleanup

Last year’s annual Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanup on Lake Martin has removed more than 160 tons of trash from Lake Martin. LMRA president, John Thompson has been coordinating the lake clean up, in coordination with Alabama Power and several other partners since 2006, along with over 2000 volunteers. Lake Watch members Ken and Tanya Holland, along with Tanya’s sister Tammie McVickers and Tanya’s mother, Shirley Cook extended a huge helping hand again this year, going way above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to clean up the lake (as they’ve done for many years). They spend several weekends before the official cleanup collecting and bagging trash in sloughs for easy pickup during the ROR cleanup. Let’s all extend a big THANK YOU to all of the ROR volunteers! Ps., can you find our two Bronson Environmental Stewardship Award winners, John Thompson, Director of LMRA, and Bruce Adams, Superintendent of Wind Creek State Park, as well as Ken and Tanya and Tammie and Shirley in the picture of volunteers above (Source: Lake Magazine).

Plans for 2021

The Lake Watch board met on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 to debrief on the December 11 meeting of the Environmental Management Commission where ADEM’s proposed CAFO regulations were passed. The board discussed next steps in light of the passing of the new State CAFO regulations, which follow:

1. Have additional board members get on ADEM’s notification list so we don’t miss any key announcements by ADEM that pertain to Lake Martin and its watershed.
2. Try to identify the folks that took the initiative to send in letters of support for our opposition to request that they join in our 2021 efforts and work toward coalescing this group to proceed with measures to protect our lake.
3. Continue cultivating relationships with key ADEM personnel to aid in our efforts to protect the lake.
4. Request updates from ADEM personnel on ADEM water monitoring and CAFO inspections in our watershed.
5. Maintain/increase monitoring of key streams that have significant poultry production, including bacteria (E. coli) monitoring and also genetic source tracking analyses to identify the source(s) of fecal contamination in streams that flow into Lake Martin.
6. Develop a Fact Sheet for public outreach that clearly defines threats to the lake from CAFOs.
7. Investigate strengthening the Treasured Alabama Lake designation of Lake Martin to extend protections beyond the lake to the whole watershed, including the streams and the Tallapoosa River that drain into the lake.

We welcome all who are willing and able to help us accomplish these objectives! We need you!

We also welcome your suggestions/ideas on accomplishing these objectives and other ideas on how to better protect our lake from emerging threats.

Closing Thoughts

YOU are what makes Lake Watch of Lake Martin work! We urge each of our Lake Watch members to spread the word about Lake Watch, to support our programs and to participate. Help sign up new members to our team! Consider an additional donation to Lake Watch! Not everyone can get out and monitor water, or teach in a classroom, or give a presentation, but each member is essential to our success.

Together, we can make a difference in the protection of our lake, in water conservation and clean water advocacy, and in the world we leave for our children. If every Lake Watch member encourages one or two friends to join in our efforts, it will go a long way toward ensuring the continuation of the good work we've accomplished over the past 29 years. Go visit your neighbor and convince him or her to sign up. Signing up is easy, just go to our  website, www.lakewatch.org and click the menu item ‘Get Involved’.

Dues Reminder

Take the plunge, if you haven’t already!  

• Protect Lake Martin by supporting Lake Watch!
• And ask a neighbor to do the same!

For the many faithful Lake Watch members who already sent in their dues for 2021, THANK YOU!  And for those who haven’t yet, don't forget to send your check to:

P. O. Box 72, Alexander City, AL 35010

to keep your membership current. Membership levels are listed below:

Regular dues (annual):     Student  $10      Individual  $15         Family  $25

Lake Martin Steward:       Silver     $50      Gold  $100                 Platinum  $250

We also welcome donations of any amount.  Don't forget–a donation in someone's honor/memory is a lovely gift/tribute.

By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch President
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, October 2020 Edition

Lake Watch monitors a potential threat to the lake

As Lake magazine readers know, Lake Watch of Lake Martin has been shepherding over the waters of Lake Martin for many years – over the past three decades to be precise. Past threats to the lake have included a lakeside landfill and point sources of both industrial and municipal waste. These were met with strong advocacy for maintaining clean water in our lake by Lake Watch. Those efforts, along with the efforts of others, are the reason we still have the one-and-only Treasured Alabama Lake, the cleanest lake in the state. 

Our long-term monitoring continues at sites throughout the lake, as well as monitoring at new high-priority sites. Volunteer monitors currently test each month at 28 sites and have taken 3,138 data records from the lake, the Tallapoosa River above the lake and streams that empty into the lake. Lake Watch volunteer monitors have monitored swim areas, including D.A.R.E. Park beach, Wind Creek State Park beach and Pace’s Trail terminus, and have recently added a new swim site, the beach at Kowaliga Restaurant. Thankfully, all have been either completely free of E. coli bacteria (meaning no presence of fecal contamination – that’s a good thing!) or very low in E. coli, well below the state-mandated limit to protect human health. Kudos to our monitors for their commitment to preserving our Treasured Lake.

Ah, but just when you think you can rest on your laurels and go fishing, things change – new threats emerge. The most significant, in my opinion, is the explosion of poultry production right above the lake. I wrote about this in detail in the January 2020 edition of Lake magazine (Chickens in the Watershed). Since that time, Lake Watch has witnessed the construction of even more poultry houses in our watershed and has monitored sites on streams that contain significant poultry production that drain to the lake. 

Test sites include one on Crooked Creek downstream from Lineville, one on Emuckfaw Creek at Highway 49 Bridge and one on Timbergut Creek. The Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend is also monitored. At the time this article was written, we’d captured one good rain event that showed significant bacterial contamination in all three streams. Timely sampling directly following a significant rain event is critical because that’s when pollutants, such as chicken litter, are flushed from the landscape into surface waters. 

Small streams rise quickly and then fall quickly. If they’re down by the time a monitor arrives (typically within hours of when the rain stops pouring down), the pollutants have already been flushed through – they’re downstream and on their way to the lake. The highest contamination was found in Emuckfaw Creek, 3,567 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water (about half a cup of water) – that’s not good. That level of contamination is 12 times higher than the state’s standard for a Fish and Wildlife-classified stream, such as Emuckfaw Creek, and is definitely not safe to swim in. 

If the water is high and muddy, it would be better to wait a day or two for it to go down and clear up to avoid swallowing nasty bacteria.

As of now, we only have this one date of high values, plus one date in February 2020 when the Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend tested high for E. coli, 1,133 per 100 milliliters. I must add a big caveat: We don’t yet know the source of the E. coli in the creeks or the river. It could be poultry, cattle or wildlife – more testing is required to identify the source. 

And, to repeat myself from my last article, I love fried chicken. I grew up farming in northern Indiana – row crops, hogs and cattle, and I have a deep respect for farmers and the service they provide feeding the nation; nonetheless, Lake Watch remains greatly concerned with the proliferation of chicken houses above our one-and-only Treasured Lake. The questions that keep coming to my mind are: How many are too many? And can we determine this before our Treasured Lake is polluted and loses its luster? 

Lake Watch will continue to test the waters above Lake Martin. We hope to partner with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, poultry producers and other state agencies, so we can work collaboratively to understand what impacts, if any, are originating upstream and determine how to mitigate them, if needed. Stay tuned.

Lastly, as usual, we’d love your support in our efforts to preserve and protect Lake Martin today and for generations to come. Monitors and members come and go, so we’re always looking for a few good women and men. Come aboard at lakewatch.org. 

~ Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin. 

By:  Joanne Cunningham Walker, Lake Watch Member
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, July 2020 Edition

Did you hear what Ole COVID-19 said?

“Go jump in the lake!”

School is out or online. Mama and Daddy must work at home. Stores closed. Can’t shop. Can’t invite friends over. Can’t go to the playground …

“Hey, wait a minute. Let’s go to the lake, where there’s a 41,150-acre playground, full and ready.” 

Retail stores may be struggling, but the marinas are bustling. Lines of boats to be serviced. Captains best make appointments. Gas is pumping like every day is a holiday weekend. 

Social distancing is no problem around Lake Martin. Walk down a country road. COVID-19 didn’t bother the trees and wildflowers. Wave at the neighbors. Raft up out in the lake, with passengers staying a safe distance aboard; or jump in where there is lots of distance to spare.

One of our favorite social distancing methods is tying our boat to a neighbor’s dock. We stay aboard while neighbors are comfortably seated on their pier. We sip and visit as the sun sets, spraying pinks and reds across the sky. Ahh, we all enjoy this Treasured Lake – the only one in Alabama. 

Meanwhile, we are all vigilant, working hard to protect ourselves from this coronavirus. Even as the quarantine begins to lift, we have learned much about how to keep ourselves healthy. We will continue to be vigilant, always checking to see from where this virus might be coming. 

Our Treasured Lake must be protected in the same way. There is a big difference: Eventually, a vaccine will be developed to ward off COVID-19. No such vaccine will ever permanently guard these waters. We must be the vaccine that immunizes our lake. 

The simplest way to inoculate our Treasured Lake is for everybody to start: Do not toss any trash in the water or leave messes on the shoreline. Not any. Even just one little cup would make a difference. One cup multiplied by hundreds of boats, and our lake is a garbage dump.

 If you see one cup – can, plastic bag, bait cup, flabby swim noodle floating – pick it up. Take it home. Make a game: Whoever picks up the most wins a prize. 

Be careful what you do in your own lakeside yard. Runoff from certain lawn fertilizers contains chemicals that will encourage toxic algae, a problem we have so far avoided.

Join Lake Watch of Lake Martin. This organization began years ago when chemicals were being dumped into the lake. This toxic practice was stopped, and Lake Watch was born. Lake Watch members not only sponsor workshops to educate the next generation but also promote legislation protecting our public waters; expansion of the Alabama Water Watch program; and specifically, monitoring for pollution problems on Lake Martin. Most recently, Lake Watch is actively assessing the threat that chicken houses pose to the streams that feed Lake Martin. 

Jump in. Become a water monitor. Unlike arguments about how and what to do about this coronavirus, checking for the presence of “ailments” in our own water is already standard practice. Thanks to volunteer monitors, bacterial and chemical testing is conducted at points around the lake, but most importantly, more testing is needed. You are needed. You will learn step-by-step how to test, receive all supplies and start testing. Visit the website at www.lakewatch.orgfor more information.

Join us for a clean, healthy “disease-free” lake. 

~ Joanne Cunningham Walker is a member of Lake Watch Lake Martin.

By:  Bill Butler, Lake Watch Board Member and Water Monitor
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, April 2020 Edition

More than 70 members and guests attended the Lake Watch of Lake Martin annual meeting on Feb. 23, 2020, at the StillWaters Residential Association Building. Alabama Department of Environmental Management Director Lance LeFleur and the head of the Office of Field Services, Richard Hulcher, spoke to the group about the state of the environment in Alabama, emphasizing the trends over the last several years and painting a largely positive picture in three major categories.  

Air

LeFleur reported that Alabama now meets all seven national standards for air quality. Though some areas occasionally exceed certain standards, the annual readings show Alabama’s air pollution is well controlled.  

Land

Unauthorized or inadequate solid waste landfills have been a serious problem, but over the past 30 years, ADEM has supervised the safe closing of 141 inferior landfills, replacing them with 32 state-of-the-art triple-lined landfills. Part of this improvement is tied to the state’s solid waste reduction; that is, recycling and other measures.  

Since 1989, Alabama has seen an increase in the waste reduction rate from 5 percent to 25 percent. LeFleur mentioned that ADEM has a grant program to help municipalities establish recycling programs.

Scrap tire dumps remain a concern. Scrap tires hold water and produce breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rats and other pests. Since 2006, ADEM has overseen cleanup of 341 illegal scrap tire dumps involving 9.9 million tires.  

Water

ADEM now monitors 89 contaminants, up from 23 in 1982. In 2018, 98 percent of Alabama’s public drinking water systems met standards.  

Lake Watch’s primary focus is surface water quality, and LeFleur reported an upward trend in this area as well. A key component of the nation’s control of water pollution is Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act, which requires states to evaluate water quality data and develop a list of waters that are considered impaired. Alabama had 11,913 miles of rivers and streams listed as impaired in 1998. By 2018, this number was 3,276. While we applaud this improvement, it must be recognized that some waters in the Tallapoosa River Basin, remain below standards.

Chicken Houses

Hulcher said ADEM classifies chicken houses and other such animal farming production as Animal Feeding Operations AFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, depending on the number of animals involved.  

There are 975 active CAFOs in Alabama, 131 of which are located in the Tallapoosa River Basin. Although only CAFOs are required to register and obtain permits, both types of operations must comply with ADEM regulations to control polluted runoff from their sites. A facility must maintain a vegetated buffer zone of at least 200 feet from the river and 100 feet from a tributary stream. A properly operated chicken house has zero pollution runoff. Chicken litter is a valuable commodity, so it is typically sold and hauled off, rather than accumulating on site. Lake Watch tests key areas in the watershed to monitor for bacteria and nutrients from poultry CAFOs.

Both speakers encouraged citizen participation and communication in helping to prevent pollution. LeFleur said ADEM actually likes to receive complaints,as it helps them narrow down problem areas and monitor compliance. A huge amount of data and the complaint portal, can be found at www.adem.state.al.us.  

In other business, Lake Watch presented two annual awards. The Woodfin Martin Award went to Zelma and Raymond DePasquale, who were recognized for their many years of support for a clean Lake Martin through efforts in conducting environmental education at Radney Elementary and Living Streams programs at Camp ASCCA and in Birmingham; their longtime water monitoring efforts; and service as board member and officer for Lake Watch.

The Bronson Environmental Stewardship Award was presented to Bruce Adams, superintendent at Wind Creek State Park, for his support of environmental preservation and Lake Watch’s efforts, including his recent help in establishing Lake Watch’s informational kiosk at the park.

As a final note, one of the categories of waters that are designated by ADEM for special protection due to its high quality is that of Treasured Alabama Lake. Lake Martin was designated a Treasured Alabama Lake in 2011 and is still the only lake so named. Because of this designation, no new point sources of pollution (e.g. municipal sewage or industrial discharges) can be introduced into the lake, and there are strict limits on allowable levels of phosphorus and E. coli bacteria. 

Several Lake Watch members have been trained as water monitors and conduct periodic water sampling at sites on the lake and surrounding areas. Our extensive water quality monitoring program has established a baseline of trend data to help address future threats to the lake. Alabama Water Watch, based at Auburn University, offers free training courses, and a couple of Lake Watch members are also certified trainers. Water monitors are always needed. Right now, monitors are especially needed on the west side of the lake. Please consider joining and getting trained as a monitor.    

Lake Watch encourages everyone who loves Lake Martin to join our efforts to protect our Treasured Lake. Annual membership is as little as $15 ($10 for students). Visit the website address below to sign on.  

Bill Butler is a board member and water monitor with Lake Watch of Lake Martin.