Boone Lake stakeholder meeting set to discuss who’s responsible for water quality

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — After News Channel 11 reported about recently-discovered high E. Coli levels in Boone Lake , brought to light by the non-profit Boone Lake Association (BLA), responses from government agencies were cause for concern among some state lawmakers.

Earlier this month, the BLA found E. Coli above the recommended level for recreation at two testing sites, Point 17 and the popular swimming spot, Boone Dam Beach. Since the BLA has no regulatory authority to close any part of the lake because of the test results, News Channel 11 reached out to several government agencies for their reactions.

In response, News Channel 11 received conflicting emails from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) about who’s responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of water quality issues, each naming another agency that should be contacted.

The responses troubled State Senator Jon Lundberg.

“You had three emails from them and [my] first (reaction) was disappointment, then surprised because everyone was going ‘it’s someone else’s issue.'”

Sen. Lundberg said he made some phone calls, including to his legislative contacts at TDEC. He’s now told there will be a meeting of stakeholders to address communication and clarify responsibility.

“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,” Lundberg told News Channel 11. “To say ‘hey, let’s take a look at who’s responsible for what and when communications issues arise. Let’s do point of contacts for all these issues.'”

In a follow up email to News Channel 11, TDEC Spokesperson Kim Schofinski confirmed there is a meeting scheduled between the TDEC and TVA–and clarified the agency’s role regarding Boone Lake’s water quality.

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.

Kim Schofinski- TDEC

Senator Lundberg says moving forward he doesn’t expect the same confusion.

“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’s communication lines and that this does not happen again.”

Boone Lake Association President Frank Hahne said he has not yet received an invitation to the TDEC meeting.

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