TU Hosts Panel on Toccoa at Chamber
Posted By Kent Klewein on September 29, 2010
Trout Unlimited Hosts Panel on Toccoa Tailwater
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce
Saturday, October 9th, 2010 at 9:00am
The Toccoa River Tailwater (below Blue Ridge Dam) is a premier trout fishery with enormous importance to the economic, social, and recreational well-being of Fannin County. Trout fishing and the quality of water in the Toccoa is at risk of collapse as a result of a drawdown of Lake Blue Ridge so the TVA can make essential repairs to the dam and penstock. Water temperatures and clarity are suffering, and the weather thus far is not cooperating. The reason the river is in extremis is the timing of the protracted drawdown, which coincided with an unusually hot and dry summer and start to the fall season.
* The full extent of damage to the fishery, if any, has yet to be determined. However, it is not too soon to develop a plan for recovery of the river post-drawdown in order to minimize damage or improve the fishery.*
No one doubts that the dam repairs were needed, and that the TVA carefully considered many factors in timing the drawdown, including weather patterns, safety, environmental impact, and the like, with input from the public and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The question is, however, where do we go from here if trout die and the fishery collapses? This question and more will be answered in a public forum hosted by Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited at the Fannin Chamber of Commerce, 9 am, October 9, 2010. Representatives of the TVA, DNR, Trout Unlimited, and the Chamber of Commerce will comprise a panel to discuss the immediate future of the Toccoa Tailwater and to answer questions from the audience. The purpose of this discussion is not to probe how, why, or when the drawdown was done or to criticize anyone in the process. This meeting focuses on what can be done from this point forward to protect and restore the fishery.
Trout Unlimited is an organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and protection of coldwater (trout) fisheries like the Toccoa.
This post is for all the people out there that have a deep love for the Toccoa River. It’s also for all the businesses out there that provide products and services in the Blue Ridge area that depend on the Toccoa River being a stable and a healthy fishery for local economic stimulus through tourism. Please attend this meeting if possible and voice your concerns about how we should move forward in our recovery efforts for the Toccoa River. It’s really important that other businesses outside the fishing sector get involved so the panel can understand we aren’t the only ones being negatively effected by the condition of the Toccoa River.
We hope to see attendence by the following:
- Property Owners in the Blue Ridge area
- Hotel & Cabin Rental Companies
- Food and Retail Establishments
- Outdoor Recreation Outfitters
- All that have enjoyed floating and fishing the Toccoa River in the past
Thank you all for your attention,
Capt. Kent Klewein Reel Job Fishing, LLC www.kent-klewein.com info@kent-klewein.com 770-330-7583
if I didn’t work weekends I’d be there… good luck