Black Swamp

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TWRA Black Swamp dike illegal

Agency clashes with state regulators over clean water laws
Associated Press©
Sunday, November 18, 2007

NASHVILLE -- State wildlife officials and Tennessee environmental regulators are squaring off again over the construction of a dike in West Tennessee that is intended to improve duck hunting.

The state Department of Environment and Conservation has ordered the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to remove the concrete dike and other structures on a stream near the Black Swamp in Obion County.

After The Tennessean newspaper began asking questions about it, the environmental regulators concluded in a Nov. 9 letter that the levee required permits under the state's clean water laws.

The dike aims to turn the 845-acre Black Swamp into a pond during the winter months to attract ducks and improve hunting. The levee was built by TWRA over the past several weeks and has cost about $100,000.

The swamp near Kenton, about 90 miles northeast of Memphis, is spring fed and forested with cypress and tupelo trees. Conservationists are concerned damming up the swamp will harm the trees.

Ron Fox, TWRA assistant director, disagrees.

"Our foresters don't feel like there's any concern for the timber resources in the swamp," he said.

"We've done everything we could -- we have baseline information to see if it could harm them. Why is putting water in a swamp detrimental?"

TWRA was given 30 days from the date of the TDEC letter to present a plan to remove the dike and fill material.

TWRA officials contend they didn't need state permits to build the dike because it is outside the wetlands area.

Jim Johnson, a retired TWRA supervisor, is among those who oppose the damming of the swamp because of concerns about its environmental impact. He said duck hunters, farmers and conservationists would all benefit if tall levees were removed and rights of way acquired to let the rivers of West Tennessee move more freely.

[Dook]

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