Hey guys,

A long while ago, there was a good sized lake down below my house, in the city of Hurricane. This lake was about 7 acres, and a boasted a great warmwater fishery with a dam at the back, scenic wooded area all around, and a playground for children off to the side.

One night, after a heavy rain, a 5 ft section of the dam collapsed and broke off, causing the lake level to fall drastically.  The officials of the city of Hurricane were faced with a decision:  pay the money to fix the dam, or do nothing and forget about it.  Unfortunately, the officials of Hurricane decided to let the lake go, and eventually, the main part of the lake filled in.  That was about 8 years ago.  Although I still fish the backwater areas of this lake, I would love to see the lake restored.

Therefore, I was wondering, how do I go about proposing a plan to the mayor of Hurricane and city officials to restore the lake?  I am pretty sure contacting my local DNR officer would help, as well as gathering some background information on the lake.  I am not sure how they would restore the lake, whether it be reparing the dam, digging out the main area where the lake once was (it is currently filled with small trees and brush), or what.

Thanks for your input, it's good to have members who care about such things as much as I do.

-Aaron

"Troutfisher"

not really an area I know a lot about but one thing I would suggest is petitions of community members that lived around the lake(which also sounds like a park/nature observatory type thing) and community members who visited the place.  The objective of doing this would be to show that the place had value and was appreciated by the community.  Contacting the DNR may help...you may be able to get some sort of deal where payment for repairs is half and half or matched or anything like that.

Just try to get the community together on the issue as much as you can, whatever you choose to do.  Government officials have a hard time hearing one voice but can hear the voice of many from a mile away.

I would probably talk to you parents about contacting your local representative. I say your parents because you are not of legal age to vote, whereas they are. Politicians will typically respond more favorably to people who can help them in upcoming elections.

The DNR officer is a good idea, but it will take someone a lot further up the food chain to have any positive effects for you.

Wayne

 I think where I've read Bass has money for things like this? Not positive on that one. You should probably also talk to you areas state rep's and Senator and possibly governor after talking to the local mayor etc. Better yet would be to have the mayor contact the rep's and gov.

See where the DNR points you before you go to the "officials"

Hello Aaron,

I also vote for the community petition. This sounds more like a city project than a state project. I would start first a the local courthouse in the records room to find out if it's a city owned impoundment or a state owned impoundment. I hope it is city owned because you will get a faster response.

I agree with the above.  My thought is the city would have fixed it if they had the money.  I think this may end up being all about the money.  

Therefore my answer would be where are you going to get the money to fix it?  If you can find the money, I bet that will help your cause a lot.  

This is where the challenge lies.  Great project, maybe you can double it into some kind of school project or something.  

Good Luck with it.    

Thanks for the helpful input, guys.  I think my first step is going to be contacting the DNR via e-mail and going from there.

Went through a somewhat similar situation at a small private lake in the Poconos (Lake Jamie).  We were told a price tag of $1 million was what it was going to take to fix the dam.  Just wasn't feasible with the limited number of property owners.

I just sent an email to the DNR, and it said the following.

"To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Aaron Kidd.  I am a 15 year old resident of Hurricane, WV.  I am an avid outdoorsman, I love fishing, camping, hunting, and other outdoor activities.

I currently fish the backwater of Lake Wasington, located in Hurricane.  As you may or may not recall, Lake Washington was once a thriving lake which boasted a great warmwater fishery, as well as outstanding scenery.  About 7-8 years ago, a 5 foot section of the dam collapsed, causing the lake levels to drastically drop.  The city of Hurricane was faced with a decision to repair the dam, or to not fix it and let it dry up.  They did the latter, and now, what was once a beautiful lake is now just a small backwater area.

I have been studying this matter, and I am interested in trying to restore this lake back to what it once was.  I was going to get your opinion on this.  Would it cost a lot of money to restore?  I know that the area where the lake once was is now dried up and there are small trees and brush growing on it, so of course that would need to be dug out, but would the dam also needed repairing?  I assume it would.

Lastly, would the DNR be willing to offer some money/help to help restore this area?  

Thanks for your input,

Aaron Kidd"

I also left some contact information as well.

I suggest that you follow the advice you have been given by other members and see what kind of reponse you get. Probably money, or lack of, was the deciding factor in the dam not being repaired when the damage occured. Communities have to set priorties for fund expeditures.

If the response is negative, form a citizens group to mount a drive in favor of the repairs. You have to show that there are many people in favor of spending the taxpayers money for what may not be considered essential for the good of the community.

If all else fails, start a matching fund drive. Approach the city or town officials with an offer that they match any funds that your citizens group can collect. You got to remember that this also is about politics. Try to get as many leaders of the community to support the cause.

Troutfisher,

             First of all you have to realize that the world is run by politics and image. You have to have a wedge to move these people into action. I would first contact your state senator via letter and or make a appointment at his local satellite office. I would wait for a response from him. Explain to him the importance that the local lake had for the youth and families in your town. Next, go to your town council meetings with your parents and express your ideas to bring the lake back and why. Be sure to contact your local newspaper to make them aware of your efforts. I think a combination of these things will get the big political dogs on the move. They love the political limelight and they like to show that they are family and youth orientated. I feel a combination of high profile recognition, contacting the right people and putting your efforts into a wide view for the media to profile would get the ball rolling. Its all about politics my friend, the big cats always kiss the babys. Hopefully your state senator and delegates can find some federal funding to help your town.

If this lake is over 25 years old, I think it will fall under the Wetlands Act. This being the case you would want to contact the DNR. It only takes on plant at the end of the lake like a ( Cattail Plant ) and I promisse you it will be fixed back

to its normal state. I am assuming all states are the same when it comes to wetlands. This happend just two months ago in my town and the owner had to restore it and restock it. 8-) Also I think there is money available through

the Fed. for this.

Thanks for the advice, guys.  I do plan on contacting some press members about the issue, and possibly trying to raise some money as well.  I have e-mailed the DNR about it, and I am going to email the State Senators as well like you said.  I will keep everyone posted.  

All of the advise given is great. You need to go through all of the right channels. Start with the history of the lake, find out why there was a dam, what it was used for and things like that. Next, involve the media, local media that is. If the local media can take on this idae as a bleeding heart story or a long term feature story, that would be great for your cause. Your local Conservation Department or Natural Resource office would also be able to help you out greatly. See what they have to say about it. Also, old people are great when it comes to things like this, when i say old i mean like 70 and older, they can help you with stories and things like this when you do go your local Representative and Senator. definitly get your local media involved in this project, it is free advertising for you and a great human interest story for them.

Keep us posted.

Brendon, the radio guy