Bristol, Tenn. – Stakeholders to Meet Over Boone Lake Water Quality Responsibility
**Bristol, Tenn.** – The Boone Lake Association (BLA) has recently discovered alarmingly high E. Coli levels at two testing sites: Point 17 and the popular swimming spot, Boone Dam Beach. These findings have raised significant concern among local residents and state lawmakers regarding the lake’s water quality.
The non-profit BLA, however, lacks the authority to enforce any closures based on the test results. This prompted a local news outlet to approach various government agencies for clarity. The responses they received were far from satisfactory.
Emails from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) all pointed fingers at each other, leaving both officials and the public confused about who is truly responsible for monitoring and taking action on these water quality issues.
State Senator Jon Lundberg expressed his dismay over the confused responses. “You had three emails from them and [my] first reaction was disappointment, then surprised because everyone was going ‘it’s someone else’s issue,’” said Lundberg. He revealed that after making some phone calls, including to his legislative contacts at TDEC, a meeting of stakeholders was planned to address these communication issues and clarify responsibilities.
The aim of this meeting is to establish clear points of contact and define roles when it comes to water quality management, especially for Boone Lake. “Your story, frankly, kicked off some concerns from TDEC and others to say, you know, we really need to sit down with these other agencies to tell everyone we’re in charge here, here’s our roles and responsibilities,” explained Lundberg.
In a follow-up email, TDEC Spokesperson Kim Schofinski confirmed the meeting and clarified the agency’s role regarding Boone Lake’s water quality. According to Schofinski:
TDEC takes our role as the chief environmental and natural resource regulatory agency in Tennessee very seriously. While TVA is responsible for the daily management of reservoirs in Tennessee, our agency is responsible for the overall protection of the state’s water resources. TDEC monitors pathogen levels, including E. Coli, in rivers and streams across the state as an indicator for water quality health.
Sampling locations are typically located near the mouth of tributaries and not in reservoirs. This is because data shows that pathogen levels generally drop to levels well below public health guidelines once they are exposed to UV sunlight in a static waterbody.
TDEC has been closely monitoring the situation at Boone Lake and has been in communication with both TVA and the Boone Lake Association (BLA). While the latest sampling results from BLA show E. Coli levels that are within recreational use guidelines, TDEC will continue to monitor this situation closely and stay in communication with TVA and BLA concerning the water quality of the area.
Senator Lundberg mentioned that moving forward, he doesn’t expect the same confusion to occur again. “There is good that has come out of this,” he said. “Number one, that TDEC said, you know, ‘we are ultimately responsible.’ And number two is especially for Boone Lake property owners. They have said we’re going to also take that lead in coordinating with TVA and others and make certain there are communication lines and that this does not happen again.”
Boone Lake Association President Frank Hahne disclosed that he has not yet received an invitation to the TDEC meeting.
The upcoming meeting among stakeholders is anticipated to bring some much-needed clarity and improve communication between these agencies, ensuring better management of Boone Lake’s water quality in the future.
