The dreaded P Word

[unkangler]

I've fished OHL for about 7 years now and i have seen days when the water quality looks fantastic and other days ... well I'll just go ahead and say it : Downright POLLUTED. I mean obviously raw sewage. I know with all the big boats some will dump their tanks but I wonder if their is more to it than that.

I have been planning to take my youngest son out water-sking and that means the wife will be the spotter and I would hate to have her see it, much less the boy swimming in it.... O well i guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that's it's a good day.

[MickT]

Not sure how many operate in the area, but septic tank pumping companies are notorious for dumping their trucks anywhere they can since they have to pay to dispose of it otherwise. I caught one dumping straight into the ditch one evening- all lights off, and the dude was scrambling to get the valve shut and get out of there.

[TroutFiend]

Yep, it can be unnerving. That's funny you say that I was just having a conversation with someone regarding that topic this evening. I was born and raised 5 miles from the Laguardo area. 95% of my fishing is done on Centerhill lake, Dalehollow lake and the Caney Fork River due to this very reason. Not to say that these lakes and rivers do not experience the same issue from time to time. The middle Tennessee area is seeing and has seen so much growth, there are a lot of things that are being overlooked and contributing to this factor regarding sewage. So watch out for those floating sticks!


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[jaycee]

House boats that never leave the slips... How do they dump their sewage? Take a guess.

[MickT]

I know the foresters at Chuck Swan State Forest on Norris Lake, middle of nowhere Union County had trouble all the time with the septic trucks too. They were driving 30+ minutes out of the way just to do it.

[unkangler]

mmmmnn..... I wonder if the Gov. agency responsible for protecting the water here in Tennessee has ever got any of these rascals?

[thehick176]

Not if they get a cut........

[unkangler]

Aaww man.... if that's true , that ain't right....

[jad2t]

I was just having this talk Monday with Johnathan on the way to Normandy to fish the morning. It's a shame that we've trashed our natural resources to the point that you can't just eat a fish out of any body of water, you have to be cautious. It's a past time of America and of human existence in general to be able to provide fresh caught fish for your family. In East TN there are some rivers that not only have a warning not to eat any fish from, they also say not to even come in contact with the water!!

We should never have let things get this bad. It's not just raw sewage, it's other companies dumping waste in our waters. A lot of this also comes from the coal burning plants. NO I am not going to get into a coal vs clean energy debate because there is no need to. I'm not anti-coal, but it's time to take the pink glasses off and quit pretending like it isn't polluting our waters. One also has to wonder how this could affect the game we like to hunt in the coming years since they drink from said polluted waters.

We're all outdoorsmen, many of us hunters as well as fishermen, and we all should want clean air and water for the game and fish we pursue.

[jad2t]

Oh yea, since we're talking about raw sewage, is the dreaded P word you mentioned "poop"?

[MickT]

Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville are prime examples. The Little Pigeon River is a prime smallmouth river, but all the storm water discharges into this river. Gatlinburg also has a terribly outdated waste treatment plant that failed catastrophically a few years ago and had been discharging untreated wasted into the river for years. If they would have upgraded their system to handle its status as a tourist destination and discharged into the French Broad, a much larger system that can effectively dilute the treated waste to "safe" levels, we would be able to safely fish, swim, and enjoy the river.

[MickT]

Not if they get a cut........

As far as TDEC getting kick backs etc, I am not aware of that happening, but the Haslam administration did clean house over there, so it wouldn't surprise me if things were "overlooked" in the name of progress.

[unkangler]

Oh yea, since we're talking about raw sewage, is the dreaded P word you mentioned "poop"?

Well.... actually Pollution, but that's a good description also.