Posted on March 7, 2019
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North Carolina Wildlife Commission coming to county’s April 1 meeting
COLUMBUS—It sounds like the dredging of Lake Adger could be in the near future as the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is scheduled to unveil its plans at the county’s April 1 meeting.
Commissioners met Monday and heard from county manager Marche Pittman about the NCWRC coming to present its plans to redo the inlet.
“I thought this thing would be done a year ago,” said commissioner Myron Yoder.
He said he has gotten a quick lesson on how Raleigh works, but as long as the county can keep the state coming, that is an accomplishment.
Commissioner Chair Tommy Melton said the county has been working on getting the lake marina dredged for two years.
The NCWRC presented its plans to dredge the marina last March, saying then that the dredging would occur in the fall/winter of 2018.
County commissioners approved the state’s plan for the dredging last year, with plans then being to dredge the channel and use the material to create a wetland.
WRC is responsible for maintaining adequate water depths for public access from the boat ramp and marina through an agreement with Polk County. The sedimentation over the years has restricted channel access, so dredging the channel is required.
The project presented last year included dredging approximately 6,800 cubic yards to maintain a depth of 7 to 8 feet below normal full level.
The in-water placement option the NCWRC presented last year could create an opportunity for habitat enhancement and eliminates the need for staging, dewatering and hauling.
NCWRC officials said last year they wanted to dredge in the fall and winter so as not to impact recreation on the lake.
Lake Adger was created in 1925 with the construction of the Turner Shoals Dam on the Green River.
Polk County purchased the lake and dam in 2009, in order to create a future drinking water source for the county.
An agreement was approved in 2004 between the Lake Adger Property Owner’s Association, Lake Adger Developers, the Polk County Board of Commissioners, Northbrook Carolina Hydro and the NCWRC to provide public access to the lake. NCWRC then agreed to pay an annual fee and to be responsible for maintaining the access channel from the Lake Adger Marina and Marina Boat Ramp facility to the main body of Lake Adger so watercraft can access the water from the boat ramp.
“Such responsibility will include the obligation to dredge the channel as necessary to maintain access to the waters of Lake Adger for watercraft,” states the agreement.
The county’s April 1 meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the R. Jay Foster Hall of Justice, located on the second floor of the Womack building in Columbus.
Source: tryondailybulletin.com
