Lake Nottely Improvement Association InformationJanuary Technology 2019 Newsletter Solutions

Presidents Letter 2019 Event Dates As 2018 comes to an end, we of the Lake Nottely Improvement Association (LNIA) can look back on a great year. Participation by Spring - Lake Cleanup our members at every event we host or participate in has grown. We thank our Members and Board for all their hard work. th Apr i l 6 8 am @ Lake Side Village Boats In 2018, the TVA approved a grant request of LNIA. We could leave @9am have never applied for this had it not been for the founders who made sure LNIA became a 501C Non-Profit Organization from Memorial Day Parade the start. Our grant was approved with stipulations. Their May 2 5 th requirements include membership building and increasing our Lake Cleanup Program. Using the TVA grant, a 2018 membership drive became a reality. st 1 Annual Night Parade May 2 5 th 9pm @ Nottely Our members distributed over 600 floating key chains and Mar ina membership applications on Lake Nottely docks. Some dock During the year LNIA will communicate with you via owners were already member. However, many were not. Email Blast. If you did not provide an email address you can also check our website (lakenottely.org) and Scottish Festival Response to the membership drive revealed that many lake lovers were not aware of our association. check our Facebook page. th th June -8 -9 To all new members, Welcome! We are glad you joined and look Last, but not least, many thanks go to Lynn Varian 3rd Annual Nursing Home Boat forward to getting to know you. for guiding our association for the past two years. She brought tremendous energy and great Ride knowledge as she led our group. st Please, try to find time to help with events we participate in and June 21 be sure to join us for the two lake cleanup projects each year. The cleanup events do make a difference in improving the I hope to see you at our first lake cleanup on April 6, LNIA Picnic cleanliness of our public lake shore. 2019. June 22nd 3pm @ Poteete Pavilion All of you that joined after July 31, 2018 are paid through Safe boating, December 2019. All other members are requested to pay Doy Lively 4th of July Boat Parade membership dues of $15 by March 1, 2019.

July 6th 12pm @ Nottely Marina SECCHI Water Testing LNIA Annual Meeting & Officer Elections The LNIA, in an ongoing effort to insure Lake Nottely and tributaries feeding our lake meet or exceed water August 24th 3pm @ Poteete quality standards, will start a SECCHI testing regiment in the spring of 2019. SECCHI is a method of measuring Pavilion water clarity. This is achieved by lowering a SECCHI disk into the water until the disk is no longer visible and measuring the depth at that point. At the same time as the depth is measured, a recording of the date, time, and water temperature is documented. We hope this will be the beginning of a more complex review of Nottely water Fall – Lake Cleanup quality. With this documentation, we will be able to report to the TVA, Union County, and GA Dept. of Natural September 28th 9am @ Poteete Resources when abnormal variations occur. Hopefully, this will give us leverage for maintaining and enforcing Pavilion Boats leave @ 9:30am better development practices and water quality standards.

Members of the LNIA are very fortunate to have established a working relationship with the Corporate Members Association (LLA.) A visit to Lake Lanier to meet with Bev Nicholls (LLA Board member, Adopt-A-Lake These local businesses support coordinator, and GA Lakes Society Board member) , Marty Williams (past president of GA Lakes Society and GA LNIA through annual Adopt-A-Lake Board member), and Dr. Mary Mayhew ( Board member of GA Lakes Management Society since it’s memberships. inception and served as President twice) provided LNIA with a starting point for water quality training. These wonderful ladies took time to travel to Lake Nottely in an ongoing effort to help our association learn the proper Anchor Brokerage use and reporting of SECCHI testing. These lake advocates are a wonderful resource to LNIA. Bev Nicholls has Back Yard Delights been testing and recording water quality on Lake Lanier for over 20 years and her reporting is recognized by Cabin Coffee the Corps of Engineers and GA Power as a guide to development occurring on Lake Lanier. Lakelanier.org Nottely Marina

Flapps, Straps, & Snaps Harry Norman Realtors Watershed Coalitation 2018 meeting

Lake Nottely RV Park The Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition had its annual meeting on October 30th where the “State of the Water” Suwanee Family Dentistry was discussed. This very informative meeting gave information about water quality in our local rivers, lakes, and Mike’s Seafood Market & Grill streams. It showed the direction that should be taken, talked about water quality, and highlighted new data and North Boat Lift findings of the past year. Of course, our focus is on the data of the tributaries that feed Lake Nottely and some of these feeding tributaries need attention. Keeping these streams on the clean list is of great importance to our ReMax Town & Country lake. Cozy Cove Realty & Cabin The information provided, showed the importance of data collected on the excess sediment, Pathogens, and Rentals excess nutrients in the water. We must watch this data collected to keep our lake the safest for our use. Their United Community Bank website, (www.hrwc.net), has all this information. They also have a FaceBook page.

Lake Nottely Improvement Association - January 2019 Newsletter

LNIA Members & Community

Commitment to community is of utmost importance to LNIA members. In LNIA Monthly 2018 LNIA members volunteered over 500 collective hours to a variety of Board Meetings community events and causes.

held March 2019 LNIA hosts two lake cleanup’s per year where members take a hands on – October 2019 approach to removing trash from our beautiful banksides. Members volunteered their time and effort for the 1st Annual S.A.F.E. Kid’s Fishing Derby in May and, provided boats and drivers for the 2nd Annual Nursing Home Boat Ride in June. Each year, many members volunteer their time to ND LNIA Members graciously volunteered their time for the help with the Scottish Festival which has seen a termendous increase in BOARD MEETS 2 1st Annual S.A.F.E. Kids Fishing Derby May 19th 2018 MONDAY OF EACH at Nottely Marina. Our very own, Gary Hogan, was attendance over the last few years. LNIA is, also, a proud sponsor of the elected Derby Official and happily weighed each catch Union County High School Fishing Club! MONTH 5PM @ of the day! NORTH GA TECH COLLEGE LNIA worked in concert with the TVA and Union County in order to cleanup and add to the picnic area at Nottely Hiking Trails which are located on the North end of the lake. These improvements transformed this area into a beautiful spot to stop, take a breather, and enjoy the gorgeous lake views! 2019 Board Members Members hand delivered over 600 floating key chains to docks on Nottely, maintained fishing line receptacles at boat ramps, Doy Lively – President st repaired ramp safety markers, participated in the Memorial Day parade, and is the spearhead to the dock sign program on Denver Gammon – 1 VP Lake Nottely for all lake residents. (If you haven’t purchased a 911 address dock sign, please contact LNIA. Sign cost $30.) nd AS Sherman – 2 VP Should an accident occur on the lake, these dock signs allow rescuers to reach those in need much faster by knowing their Gary Hogan - Treasurer exact location. Liz Hogan– Secretary Mary Arnold – Social Chair With 2018 in the rearview, LNIA members anticipate a wonderful 2019 season full of community events! Jim Baxter – Logistics Chair Dick & Sandy Bell – Education Meerting Chair TVA River Operations. Carolyn Veazey – Call Committee Chair This article is our basic summary of correspondence from TVA providing an overview of how they manage the waterways Moriah & Shane Doucette under their responsibility. Dick Bell provided an excellent presentation at our last meeting on this subject. It is our intent to Newsletter & Facebook address our concerns with their implementation of the management plan with the goal of increasing late summer Lake Nottely levels and smoothing some of the rapid changes in the spring. We are not questioning the core concept of their management Members at Large and the more we meet with them, the more we appreciate their work. Sue Boris Carole Lively In 2004, TVA changed its management plan of the system. This system includes the Tennessee River, Caroline & George Pirie reservoirs on the river, and feeder rivers and tributary lakes. The change most notably extended a summer period of Lynn & Barry Varian maintaining higher water levels on the tributary lakes to Labor Day and revised their basis for water withdrawal. [As Dick Bell stated (he was one of the leaders of LNIA who was instrumental in causing this change) the water level change on Lake Nottely was a dramatic improvement.]

So for the summer period TVA focuses on water flow on the TN River measured weekly at Chickamauga Dam. There is a minimum required flow to achieve operating objectives: navigation, control, hydro-electricity generation, water quality, water supply and recreation. (Objectives are NOT of equal importance.) With a few exceptions also it is a maximum flow. [Think of this latter flow as being a way of helping to maintain a higher level on Nottely.]

The tributary lakes (ten, includes Nottely) are managed on a seasonal basis. In the winter season (essentially after Labor Day by their policy) we can expect more water to be flowing into the lakes from the watersheds and directly from rain on the lakes. So TVA lowers the water level of the lakes anticipating the need to be able to safely store the anticipated inflows. In the summer period (less inflow) they are able to raise the lake levels because of the lower risk of flooding. TVA has established The Tennessee Valley lake balancing guides for each tributary lake to ensure that water releases for downstream system priority needs will be Authority works withdrawn as equitably as possible. One of the factors considered is the relative water capacity of the lakes. diligently to serve the The drawdown or “winter pool level” has changed for the positive. In 1971 from a 90 foot drawdown to 30 feet and in 2001 Tennessee River valley from the 30 foot drawdown to 18 feet, the level we experience now. area through flood control, navigation, and land management while It’s the Law! operating without taxpayer funds. That’s • NO WAKE ZONES – MARINAS, BRIDGES, AND BOAT RAMPS. KEEP A SPEED right! TVA relies heavily AT WHICH VESSEL DOES NOT CREATE A WAKE. on the sale of electricity • 100 FOOT LAW – DO NOT WAKE WITHIN A 100’ OF ANOTHER BOAT, DOCK, produced by it’s BRIDGE, PERSONS SWIMMING, OR ALONG THE SHORELINE OF A RESIDENCE. reservoirs and dams. Practice essential water safety by always • DO NOT RIDE ON THE BOW, GUNWALE, OR OUTSIDE THE RAILING WHILE THE BOAT IS IN MOTION. watching children, carefully, around • NAVIGATION LIGHTS ARE REQUIRED WHILE OPERATING A VESSEL AT NIGHT For more information water. Remember, a drowning victim is OR IN LOW-VISABILITY. BOATS UNDERWAY MUST DISPLAY BOW LIGHTS (RED visit their site: not easily spotted and may not be able & GREEN) AND ALL AROUND WHITE LIGHT (ANCHOR LIGHT.) ANCHORED to attract attention to themselves. www.TVA.gov VESSELS MUST DISPLAY ALL AROUND WHITE LIGHT. FAILURE TO SHOW Children under the age of 13 are PROPER NAVIGATION LIGHTS IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS required by Geogria state law to wear a IN GEORGIA! life jacket while on a moving vessel. VISIT WWW.GADNRLE.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION ON RULES AND REGULATIONS