Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 1, 1995 TAG: 9507030064
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
So will plenty of debris.
Mike Thacker, reservoir superintendent for Appalachian Power Co., and Liz Parcell, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Policy Advisory Board, are urging boaters and skiers to be aware of the situation created by the recent floodwaters that have hit the area. Parcell said a lot of the debris will be hard to see because the lake water is murky from all the runoff.
Lake residents have been reporting what they've been able to see so far. Parcell said a man who lives in the Water's Edge community on the southern end of the lake near Penhook reported telephone poles, fence posts and wooden pallets clogging a cove near his home.
"And we've never experienced any problems like that near the Water's Edge," she said.
Boaters should try to stay away from the shoreline, because rip-rap, stone used for erosion protection, is under water and the risk of property damage is higher, Parcell said.
"People really need to be leery about what they're doing," Thacker said.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, Thacker said rising water at the lake was no longer a threat to most property owners.
by CNB