The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Burnsville Lake is committed to keeping the lake clean and safe. This winter, Maintenance Mechanic Jason Meadows, along with employees of the maintenance contractor, Misfit Landscaping, tackled the major task of removing debris from the lake while the water level was at winter pool. The Burnsville Lake crew removes drift every year, but this cleanup was extremely needed.
Drift and debris are a never-ending issue when you manage a lake. Everyone should do their part to help make sure our public lands and waters stay clean and safe. Anyone that lives upstream of the lake is reminded to keep waste out of and away from any waterways. Most of the tires that were removed from the lake were brought in by visitors staying in the Bulltown Campground. Visitors bring these tires to use on the shoreline to protect their boats from being damaged by rocks. Visitors need to be make sure that any materials that are brought into the campground to protect their boats are properly secured and removed after their stay.
The lake cleanup crew worked numerous days and long hours to complete this huge undertaking. During this cleanup, the crew was able to remove approximately 400 tires and two truckloads of garbage from the lakebed. The crew would load the tires and debris in a jon boat and transport it to the Bulltown Campground Boat Launch Ramp, which was used as a staging area. Burnsville Lake partnered with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection REAP Program to have the tires removed from the area and disposed of properly. Crew members also cleaned up and removed drift around the major areas of the lake.
Burnsville Lake remains committed to keeping our land and water clean and free of debris. This cleanup not only made the lake look better, but also promoted better water quality and aquatic habitat. We can all do our part to protect our natural resources and keep our parks clean.