Archives 2023

Many of you have seen an announcement that an agreement has been reached between Alabama and Georgia regarding the ongoing water wars. Several have asked if the “Water Wars” are over…the short answer is NO!

While the agreement may represent an end to a “battle”, there is another battle still taking place that directly affects the Coosa River Basin and Neely Henry Lake.

A federal judge has recently decided in favor of Georgia in a suit brought by the state of Alabama, Alabama Power, and the cities of Montgomery and Mobile regarding water flow in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) River basin. This extends from the Alabama-Georgia line on Weiss Lake and goes approximately 650 miles south through Montgomery all the way to Mobile Bay, a much greater distance than the Apalachicola-Flint-Chattahoochee (ACF) River basin agreement you may have read about.

The issue is the amount of water being held in north Georgia and what would be available to flow into Alabama and the ACT basin during times of drought and what the environmental and economic impact could be on our communities and state.

There has been no word on “next steps” of this suit by the state of Alabama, APCO or the cities as yet. Stay tuned and we will try and keep you apprised of the developments.

NEELY HENRY LAKE ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY MEETING

The October meeting of the Neely Henry Lake Association will be held on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 6:30 PM. The meeting will be held at the Rainbow City Community Center,(next to the library), Rainbow City, AL.

We are very pleased to have as our guest speaker Dr. Grover Brown from Jacksonville State University. Dr. Brown is in his 3rd year as a biology professor at Jax State and is originally from Cartersville, GA. Dr. Brown will be speaking to us about his research on various turtles on the Coosa and in other parts of the world.

Masters student Abigail Wilkins, a recent Auburn graduate, will also be attending and will share with us some of her experiences working this summer on the Coosa River.

In addition, we will be providing updates on various projects and activities supported by the NHLA.

Please mark your calendars and get set for a most informative presentation…who doesn’t like turtles?!!

Feel free to forward this notice on to your friends and neighbors who may be interested in attending….our meetings are always open to everyone that shares our love for Neely Henry Lake. You may also check out our Facebook page and our website (NeelyHenryLake.org) for more information about our organization.

There will be light refreshments provided and a drawing for door prizes.

I look forward to seeing you at our meeting!

Sincerely,

Dave Tumlin – President

Neely Henry Lake Association

2023 Renew Our Rivers Cleanup Schedule

The 2023 Renew Our Rivers cleanup is set to begin next Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

Daily start-up for Tuesday and Wednesday will be held at Coosa Landing in Gadsden at 9:00 am. You will be able to pick up trash bags, tongs and T-shirts.

Thursday start-up will be held at Rainbow Landing, Rainbow City before 9:00am to pick up supplies, or at Coosa Landing after that time.

Lunch and snacks will be provided each day around 12:00 noon at Coosa Landing.

The main location for trash deposit will be at the Gadsden Amphitheater parking lot, Tuesday thru Saturday, 30th, until noon. NO TRASH ACCEPTED AFTER NOON ON SATURDAY! There will be trash deposit available on Thursday, 28th ONLY, at both Rainbow Landing and Southside Boat dock. Thursday ONLY!

If you have time, gather your friends and family and help to Renew Our River by picking up trash and debris and getting it hauled off!

Thanks for your support.

July 2023 Neely Henry Fish Habitat Project Details
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

“No experience necessary, we’ll show you how! :)”

Location: River Rocks Landing Campground, Gadsden, Alabama

Build Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Time: 9:00 A.M. CDT

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Deployment Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Time: 9:00 A.M. CDT

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Contact: Call or text Kelly Stephens at (770) 402-6328 to volunteer so that we know how many volunteers to expect.

Additional Info: We will be building and deploying spider block fish habitat made from plastic buckets, flexible plastic pipe, and bagged concrete. Alabama Power Company (APCO) supplies all materials and boats for deployment. Additionally, APCO has life jackets for use on the boat. Volunteers may want to bring work gloves, sunglasses and drinking water for themselves. Arrangements will be made to allow volunteers to get access through the security gate at the entrance to the campground. If the gate is not open, advise campground personnel that you are there to work on the fish habitat project.

The April meeting of the Neely Henry Lake Association will be held on Thursday, April 6 at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held at the Rainbow City Community Center.

With the boating season about to begin, we thought it would be a good time to get an update (and a reminder!) on the major safety regulations that cover our lake. Our speaker this month will be Deputy Chief Matt Brooks, ALEA Marine Patrol Division. Matt is a Gadsden native and currently serves over the Operations and Patrol Division. Matt will be providing us an update on any recent rule changes and will stress the key areas of safety we should all be focusing on. In addition, Matt will introduce key members of his team that are serving us locally. We will also be updating you on various projects and concerns regarding Neely Henry Lake.

Mark your calendars and invite your friends and neighbors…all are welcome!
There will be door prizes and light refreshments.

To: Neely Henry Lake Association Members, Friends & Family:

Mark your calendars!!!
The Neely Henry Lake Association spring fish habitat project will be on the mornings of 4/11/23 and 4/18/23. Our base of operations will be River Rocks Landing Campground in Gadsden. We will build spider blocks on 4/11 and deploy them on 4/18. We will communicate the exact time of day as soon as it is locked down. As usual, Alabama Power Company will supply all materials and boats.

If you wish to volunteer for this worthwhile project, text or call Kelly Stephens at 770-402-6328.