The effort to save Seagraves Lake in Madison County is still in the works and county leaders have appealed to the federal government for help.
Action is necessary because the state Environmental Protection Division said the dam at the lake must be repaired or the lake must be drained.
Fearing the loss of a county landmark, the county industrial authority joined forces with the Seagraves family, seeking to keep the lake from being drained. The IDA sees the lake as a potential water source for the county.
So, the authority asked Congressman Paul Broun for help in getting the lake classified as a “watershed project,” a designation that would open the door for federal funds.
However, that designation failed to make it through Congress, because the dam was still classified as “private,” rather than “public” property.
Now, the authority is working to get a deed completed, which shows the transfer of the property to the county.
IDA Executive Director Marvin White said the “watershed project” designation will allow the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide 65 percent of the funds for permanent repairs to the lake’s dam, a project he estimated at around $1 million.
Meanwhile, he said the state EPD’s Safe Dams Division has requested that the county at least implement a temporary siphoning system at the lake, which would include a 16-inch siphoning pipe and lower the lake’s level by three to five feet.
White said the IDA doesn’t want lowering of the lake’s level to be a permanent fix.
“If we are going to use this as a future water source, we don’t want to lower the lake’s level,” he said.
