Mountain Island Lake Covekeepers
Welcome to our webpage.
Breaking Mountain Island Lake News....
• Inside a Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Riverkeeper Wins Service Award
On December 7th, 2011 Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman was presented the MIL Marine Commission Blue Fin Award in recognition of his positive efforts that benefit Mountain Island Lake and its visitors. Marine Commission Chairwoman Cathy Roche presented the annual award at the last Marine Commission meeting of 2011. More about David and the award can be seen here. In the past, MIL Lakekeepers and Covekeepers have also received the award for their service at Mountain Island Lake.
• Next meeting - Monday Feb. 13th at 7 PM
A Message from the Mountain Island Lake Lakekeeper
Information about Mountain Island Lake
Mountain Island Lake Covekeepers News, Events and Outings
• We Came, We Cleaned, We Took Out the Trash
October 1st, 2011 was the 25th anniversary of the North Carolina Big Sweep Event. As in past years there were two locations on Mountain Island Lake volunteers could go to participate. At Latta Plantation Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services provided a staffed volunteer site at the Gar Creek Cove Canoe Access and at the Riverbend Boat Ramp off Highway 16, Duke again sponsored Big Sweep efforts at the west end of Mtn. Island Lake. This year volunteers at Riverbend collected over 2 1/2 tons of trash from the shores of our lake. Groups that participated were MIL Covekeepers, MIL Marine Commission members, Boy Scout Troop 80, Duke Employees and several local residents. Once again adult beverage containers and chicken dinner boxes made up the bulk of the litter.
• Duke Energy Reaffirms Riverbend Closing
In a June statement to the Mountain Island Lake Marine Commission and the Mountain Island Lake Stakeholders Group, Duke Energy has said that it has "accelerated" plans to close the aging Riverbend Steam Station on our lake. The fate of the two coal ash ponds adjacent to the lake is less clear but according to Duke "would follow a prescribed process with state oversight and approval." The entire statement can be read here.
• Advisory Issued for Mountain Island Lake Fish
A public announcement released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services places the first-ever PCB consumption advisory in the Catawba River system on Mountain Island Lake, which is the primary source of drinking water for Charlotte, Mt. Holly, Belmont, Matthews and Pineville. Click here and here to read more. A video news story can be seen here
• Lakekeeper Alice Battle Featured in News 14 Story
In a recent News 14 story about the litter problems at Mountain Island Lake Lakekeeper Alice Battle gave a first hand tour of the used diapers, bottles and garbage that scar the shoreline of our lake. Also featured in the story is Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman who says that education is the key to changing this unfortunate situation. Read more about it here. You can see the video story by clicking here.
• Riverkeeper Foundation Testimony at EPA Coal Ash Hearing
Mountain Island Lake Lakekeeper Alice Battle, along with Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman and CRF Executive Director Rick Gaskins gave testimony at the September 14th, 2010 EPA Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System Hearing on new proposed coal ash rules. This is an especially important issue for our lake since the Duke Energy Riverbend Steam Generating Station on Mountain Island Lake creates hundreds of tons of coal ash every year. Stored on-site in coal ash ponds it is eventually disposed of in landfills or is recycled in the production of other products such as concrete or wall board. The two coal ash ponds at the Riverbend Steam Station are on the EPA’s “List of 44 High Hazard Potential Units".
Lakekeeper Battle testifies
Gaskins testifies at the hearing against Subtitle D proposal, which would allow for less regulation of coal ash waste.
In testimony, Lakekeeper Battle told the EPA, "The measurement of safe levels of heavy metals in the water currently used are more the result of politics than of scientific study. Years of abuse of the nation's rivers and streams have produced measureable amounts of contaminants in most of the lakes in the United States. Monitoring cannot be left to the goodwill of companies whose motivation is money, not the welfare of future generations."
Catawba Riverkeeper Merryman offers support for the EPA's Subtitle C proposal
The 2010 N.C. Big Sweep on our lake was once again a hugh success. All total nearly 10,000 pounds of trash was removed and miles of lake shoreline are once again as nature intended, free of litter. Read more about the Big Sweep here.
• Lake Test Results Are In and They're Not Good
A 2010 sampling of our lake water, bottom sediment and fish has shown that the Duke Energy coal ash ponds are polluting our lake. See the results of the Riverkeeper's tests by clicking here.
• Around Our Lake - Covekeeper Activities
The MIL Covekeepers were busy in 2010. Some of us helped Riverkeeper David Merryman gather fish and water samples for heavy metal and PCB contamination testing (see previous story) while others helped with another Open Water Swim Challenge in the Gar Creek cove at Latta Plantation. We've also been attending to our adopted island in Duck Cove and adding to the prothonotary warbler boxes that have been set out up-river. Our warbler box at Duck Cove had a family in it and hopefully they added to the bird population when they fledged.
The MIL Covekeepers have adopted an island under the Mountain Island Lake Wildlife Stewards Program. Six year old Junior Covekeeper Connor Myer helps put up our Adopt-an-Island sign in Duck Cove.
Last March the MIL Covekeepers and friends were given a tour of the Killian Family Farm in Lincoln County which includes wetlands and streams such as Johnson Creek that flow into Mountain Island Lake. Since the construction of the new Highway 16, Johnson Creek has been a reoccurring source of sediment run-off (read pollution) into our lake.
• Riverkeeper Looks for Contamination on Mtn. Island Lake
• Mountain Island Lake Classified as Impaired
• New North Carolina Boating Safety Law Takes Effect
As of May 1st, 2010 anyone under the age of 26 operating a watercraft on NC public waters will have to show proof of compliance will the new Boating Safety Law. More information about the law and a schedule of free classes in North Carolina can be found on this NC Wildlife.org page.
• Coal Ash Pond Issue
While our lake is home to beautiful sunsets, summer days of fun on the water and wildlife of all kinds, it is also the site of two of the EPA's High Hazard Coal Ash Impoundments which also happen to be just upstream from the primary water intakes for the cities of Charlotte, Gastonia, Mt. Holly and Belmont. Read more about this threat to our lake here and here and here.
• What Lives in Our Lake, Besides the Fish, Turtles, Snakes, Clams....
When you swim in our lake you are never alone. Besides fish or the occasional beer can our lake water is home to a variety of life forms. The Covekeepers wondered what they were so with the help of Riverkeeper David Merryman we set out to test the water. See what we found by clicking here.
• Muddy Water Blues
Want to take a guess at the number one threat to our lake? Us! That's right, it's not an invasive species, pollution from the factories located in the communities up and down the Catawba River or running out of water due to drought, though that could happen. No, it's our ever increasing use of and encroachment on our lake and the land around it. Read more about this important issue here.
• Covekeepers Duck Cove Survey
One of our missions is to track the health and use of our lake and the adjacent habitat. In July 2009 we ventured upriver to Duck Cove and the island there we adopted to see how that part of our lake is doing. You can find out more about that trip by clicking here.
• Is Anybody Home?
Photo Copyright © John Schwarz
• Attractive to Fish?!
• How You Can Help Our Lake
Pick up the Poop - If you're still reading then here's the deal: you kind of agreed to do this when you got your dog, just like you agreed to feed, take care of and get her shots. YES, it's disgusting; NO, no one really wants to do it and YES, your mother told you not to ever touch it. But, it needs to be picked up because otherwise it can end up in our lake where someone ends up swimming in it.
Keep Grass Clippings & Yard Waste Out of the Gutters and Storm Drains - Just like the poop it all eventually ends up in the lake, unless we make a conscious effort to keep it out. Please rake it, blow it and/or compost it, but try to keep it out of our water. Remember that the storm drains all eventually go to the lake and the Catawba River.
Respect the Buffer - The strip of land next to the lake and its creeks is called a buffer zone. We need to protect it and what lives in it. It's the law and it's also just good practice to leave it alone. Don't cut the trees there or kill the plants or build there or burn there, at least not without permission from the many regulatory agencies who have a say in what happens in the buffer. Just let it do what it does best, protect the lake. In some places, like Mecklenburg County the buffer is the first 100 feet of land after the high water mark, in other places it's the first 50 feet and some home owner associations even have their own rules.
If you have any questions send us an email or contact the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources - 704 663-1699
Go to the Catawba Riverkeeper Home Page by clicking here
