- U.S Army Corps of Engineers say clean up efforts are on hold in Spring Creek.
- The aquatic plant life in the creek is forcing anglers to go elsewhere.
- Watch the story to find out what's the hold up and when official clean up plans will begin.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
WTXL reporter AJ Douglas was at the Earle May Boat Basin in Bainbridge.. comparing the waters at the Flint River to Spring Creek to find out why our creek is in need of some TLC.
"It's gotten so grassy that you can't really fish over there anymore,” said local fisherman Danny Hurst, VO:
Hurst said that due to the grass-like overgrowth found around Spring Creek he's migrated to the banks of the Flint River.
"This is where we come to fish,” Hurst.
Currently, Spring Creek has overgrowth in it's waters that mostly consist of hydrilla
"Bulrush, water hyacinth, and water primrose,” said environmental compliance coordinator Brent Mortimer.
Mortimer is the environmental compliance coordinator for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
We stopped by their Lake Seminole office to find out when neighbors can expect clean up efforts to happen.
"Right now we're kind of on hold,” according to Mortimer.
What's causing the holdup?
The Corps is waiting for over 1 mil. Dollars in federal funding to be awarded… And it's the fact that the herbicides used to clean the waters is no match for South Georgia's summer heat.
"The water temperatures are too warm and it breaks down the herbicide too quickly,” said Mortimer.
The creek being so shallow and having clear waters make it a target for invasive species.
Compared to Flint where it's not as clear and has much deeper waters which prevents excessive growth of invasive species.
People like Hurst said he has no problem making his return to Spring Creek's clear waters following clean up.
"I used to love to go to Spring Creek [to] fish,” said Hurst.
The Corps of Engineers will continue drip services to manage the overgrowth. Official clean up won't take place until the winter season.
