Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 74

LEADERS BY NATURE: THE MOUNTAIN Q & A
VAL KOSMIDER:
How to Rescue a Lake
Watching the waters of a 4,520-acre Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir
in Upstate Tennessee is a long-time passion for Boone Lake Association
President Val Kosmider. He oversees one of the oldest environmental
groups in the state.
Interview by MARY LEIDIG | Photo courtesy VAL KOSMIDER
Tell us about your work as President of Boone Lake
Association. It's a volunteer position, so you've got
a day job, too.
Compensation for this work is the reward of helping
make our community a better place for all. In my day job,
I work in the financial markets. Our board and four employees
bring all sorts of skills as we pursue many activities
in lake operations and fundraising. We also produce a
publication for the community- " The Shoreliner. "
Boone Lake Association is more than 30 years old,
and you've shared the lake is cleaner than ever.
It's a getaway for nearby urban populations in
virtually every direction. What does BLA do that is
so vital?
The focus of Boone Lake Association is simple: keep the
lake clean and safe for everyone. We remove trash, logs
and various flotsam from the lake. We use barges, electronic
mapping and location monitoring, accessory tools
and safety gear. Our partners include Washington and
Sullivan counties, and Johnson City, which supports us
with brush trucks and dumpsters to remove what can't
be recycled.
After discovering seepage at the bottom of Boone
Lake Dam in 2014, TVA completed the long-awaited
repair, and waters are being raised to normal levels
this summer. How did it change what BLA does?
A leak in Boone Dam in 2014 literally and figuratively
dropped the bottom out of our lake. Association fundraising
plummeted, boats were stranded, and the lake became
a kind of ghost town. Marina owners and residents
were devastated. Lake events were cancelled and overall
activity slumped to a crawl.
Since 2014, new vegetation thrived in the exposed
lakebed, empty docks rotted and fell to the exposed shoreline,
and logs from the original 1950s reservoir construction
floated up from their burial places. Material lodged
in the new growth as the lake level rose and fell. We part74
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nered with TVA and Boone Dam Repair Coalition to bring
in logistics, heavy equipment and personnel to map areas
that needed attention. We all geared up for the challenge
of bringing the lake back. We upgraded equipment, purchased
our first-ever trash skimmer and removed thousands
of tons of vegetation, logs, trash and tires from the
lake. Today, as the water returns to nearly " full pool, " the
lake is clean, recreational activity is thriving and area businesses
are returning to full steam! Locals and tourists are
wearing big smiles as to the lake's pristine condition.
When people read this, BLA will have completed
another cleanup day on April 30. What does this
mean to the region?
The 23rd Annual Boone Lake Cleanup brings together
our Association, businesses, governments and hundreds
of volunteers. Donors provide financial fuel, and our volunteers
work five locations around the lake.
What happens next is huge. Volunteers remove more
than 15 tons of trash, tires, old appliances and more from
the lake. Each item of trash returned earns a ticket to a
drawing. This year's grand prize is a donated kayak. The
day ends with a picnic and live music at Winged Deer Park
in Johnson City. We donate any remaining food to a local
soup kitchen.
You liken BLA to a kind of " mini-Nature
Conservancy, " and you're passionate about
education. What's next?
Our board members bring great experience and expansive
minds. Daily we tackle the obvious- removing trash
from Boone Lake. More funding will allow us to communicate
more effectively with stakeholders, expand water
testing and prepare signage encouraging everyone to be
good stewards.
Most importantly, we want to develop programs that
educate our young people on the value of a clean lake that
is an amazing recreational resource, power generation facility
and drinking water reservoir.
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022
