We’re still negotiating with vendors, but the cost for 2024 is expected to be about $250,000.

We believe this treatment will allow us to have a successful, fun-filled 2024 on the lake. Research says that Parrot Feather is difficult to completely eradicate, and maintenance will be required in future years, but that treatment in future years will be less expensive.

Parrot Feather spreads quickly. In 2022 it was a nuisance in the southern part of the lake. By late summer 2023 residents and guests couldn’t swim in the water and couldn’t take their boats out. If we do nothing, expect it to spread to the entire lake, in any area where water depth is 15 feet or less. It’s not if, it’s when.

TVA has stated that they are doing a study which will be completed in summer 2024, and that in any event they would only treat public areas such as boat ramps and beaches. Even if TVA did accept responsibility and agree to pay for treatment, it would be too late for us.

A: County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw has said the county realizes something needs to be done, or the economy will suffer. But the County Attorney has told Commissioner Bradshaw that it would be illegal to use public funds for a private problem. He’s also said that this does not qualify as a County Emergency, which would allow the use of emergency funds.

Update: On January 30, Commissioner Bradshaw called a special County meeting, where he announced that Towns County will donate $100,000 to the cause, using the County portion of hotel-motel tax proceeds.

It is our HOPE that county and state funding can be approved and budgeted for subsequent years. For 2024, we don’t feel like we can sit around and wait, which is why we need to act now.

Yes. Our partner in this process is Mountain True, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to “Champion resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge.”

There is a donate button on savelakechatuge.org and a QR code on FB group that links directly to the Mountain True Lake Chatuge PF project. You can also mail a check to Mountain True, 29 N Market St, Ste 610, Asheville NC 28801-designate Lake Chatuge PF project in memo line. (IMPORTANT: to ensure your online donation is applied to this project – use donate button on website page or through the QR code).

A: We are very encouraged by our fundraising success to date. But if we were unable to raise enough funds, yes, donors can request a refund at any point up until Mountain True signs a contract with the selected vendor, which is expected to be early March. We will post a running total of funds raised on our website Savelakechatuge.org, and our Facebook group, with the total funds raised updated at least weekly.

That’s a strategy, but we’d ask you not to wait. If everyone sits back and waits, then nothing ever happens! Not just as it relates to Parrot Feather, but as it relates to everything in our lives. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Let’s Save Lake Chatuge, together.

A: We have partnered with Mountain True West to handle donations, manage treatment payments, etc. They are a 501c3 non-profit and have been in operation for 40 years. Towns County has contracted with Mountain True to monitor water quality for a number of years.

Attempting to control parrot feather by manual or mechanical methods is likely to spread the plants further and should only be conducted in small, contained water bodies, not in a large reservoir like Lake Chatuge. Even driving through parrot feather in a boat can break off small pieces, which can drift and take root in another location!

Research shows that parrot feather roots can remain alive in the soil for up to 6 months with even the slightest bit of moisture. As a result, if the lake was drained, even for 6 months, the parrot feather would just come right back once the lake was filled again. Also, Lake Chatuge is fed by an impoundment of the Hiwassee River. The river channel could still harbor parrot feather even if the lake was drained. This is not a feasible option, particularly when you consider TVA's overall reservoir operations.

The following is a portion of a recent letter from MountainTrue to a concerned citizen: We understand people's concerns about herbicides being used in Lake Chatuge where water is withdrawn, treated and distributed as a public drinking water supply. MountainTrue is an environmental organization and if there was any other way to control the parrot feather, we would absolutely be doing that.

Firstly, your drinking water will not be contaminated. MountainTrue has had long conversations with aquatic weed experts at TVA. These people use herbicides to treat lakes with public drinking water supply intakes all over the region. Before the chemicals are applied in the vicinity of the intake, the water plant staff fill their reserve tanks and turn the intake off. After a period of hours - the amount of time is determined by many factors including the volume of water near the intake, the volume of herbicide applied, and the type of herbicide applied - they turn the intake back on and they monitor to be sure no herbicide is coming in. This routinely happens on other reservoirs and the weeds are controlled with no negative impact on the water supply.

Second, if we all come together and treat the whole infected area now, it will greatly diminish the amount of herbicide that will be routinely applied in future years and we'll know exactly what's being applied, when and where. Keep in mind that it is perfectly legal for individual property owners to hire companies to treat the weeds with herbicide right now with no permit required. I have no doubt that some landowners already applied herbicides this past summer. So, chemicals have already likely been applied to your drinking water lake. Again, no permits are required. If MountainTrue is not managing the treatment, no one will know what's being applied, when, by these companies at individual properties, including the water plant operators!

And last, but definitely not least, there are some terrible products out there that people can just buy and put in the lake! There is no way to police people going and buying horrible Aquacide pellets and just tossing them into the lake. There's no guarantee that they will even hire a certified commercial applicator. They may just take matters into their own hands. This is the main reason why MountainTrue is involved. I think if they have some level of confidence in MountainTrue and the team to take care of this problem, there is less likelihood of them "going rogue" and doing something that could kill fish and truly contaminate the water supply.