Scottsboro, Ala. – The Members of the Jackson County Legislative Delegation, Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro), Representative Mike Kirkland (R-Scottsboro), and Representative Ritchie Whorton (R- Owens Cross Roads), in conjunction with Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy, Jackson County Commission Chairman Bill Nance and The Tennessee Valley Authority, held a press conference on Tuesday, July 30 to address the partnership with TVA in efforts to improve recreational lake use for area boaters and homeowners. An invasive plant, eelgrass, has been causing expensive problems for boaters and tourists using Guntersville Lake and waterways in Jackson County. One boater who uses the waterways said he spends eleven hundred dollars each time he wants to remove his boat and jet ski from the water because of the invasive grass. Jackson County Commission Chairman Bill Nance said the eelgrass has led to a decrease in the number of boaters and tourists visiting the area. Nance said, “Our occupancy rate in our cabins is below 10 percent. You’ll see that the boat ramp that was full of vehicles with boat trailers… there’s hardly one there these days. All because of how eelgrass has impacted the park.” The Delegation and current local leadership have worked diligently with TVA toward improving water quality issues caused by invasive weeds and eelgrass, including harvesting and applying herbicides to manage the weed growth. The Delegation Members are currently working with state agencies to find additional partnerships and solutions to this issue. TVA has remained a partner to Jackson County with a continued commitment to addressing this issue. Chairman Nance shared that TVA will begin research on how to treat eelgrass with the goal of completely eradicating it. He added a long-term solution is the ideal goal for the Tennessee River.
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