TexomaPowerboater

Prepared for The Lake Texoma Association
By Margie Morris, Morris Ink Advertising Agency
Lake Texoma is Open for Business
Grayson County Judge Drue Bynum will address the media at a news conference on Wednesday, February 1, at 10 a.m. at the Grayson County Courthouse in the east courtroom located on the second floor. He is scheduled to provide recent test results on the decline in levels of blue-green algae in Lake Texoma.
Joining Bynum will be John Teel, Grayson County Health Department Director, and others who will deliver brief remarks and respond to questions.
"We want to share some good news with the public," Bynum said. "We've enjoyed some significant rainfall which has raised the water level at Lake Texoma. Blue-green algae levels have significantly improved and Lake Texoma is open for business! "
Despite higher than normal indications of blue-green algae cell counts last summer, the latest data from January 11th indicated improvement in several reporting stations and no stations reported areas that would prohibit water contact.
The Grayson County Health Department reported no incidences of anyone becoming ill from exposure to Lake Texoma water even when the algae levels were at their highest; data that prompted advisories from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "We believe the lake is safe for water activities, fishing is great, marinas and businesses are open," Bynum continued.
According to Bynum, some people became overly alarmed by the media reports. He said that even members of the scientific community often agree that the data can be
subjective and that there are no readily available clear definitions of what the advisories mean for the public.
"The fact is, the sky is not falling!" Bynum said.
According to a fact sheet distributed by the Lake Texoma Association, blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) is a naturally occurring algae that thrives in waters with little inflow and high temperatures, such as Lake Texoma experienced last summer. The information also states that the organism is a natural part of a water-based eco-system found in almost every aquatic habitat on earth.
Business owners around the lake are eager to welcome visitors back to Lake Texoma. The economic impact from last summer's media focus on the presence of blue-green algae was significant after some people elected to postpone their lake vacation plans.
"The Grayson County Health Department desires to provide Lake Texoma patrons with the latest scientifically valid information," said John Teel, Grayson County Health Department Director. "We believe that at current levels, any health risk from contact with Lake Texoma water is low to very low, but worthy of long-term monitoring."
The public is invited to attend the news conference. For more information on Lake Texoma conditions visit the Corps of Engineers website at www.swt.usace.army.mil/ or the news conference, call Marsha Coleman at 903-462-7803 or Michael Tucker at 405-831-5866. -30-



Ya'll spread the word and make sure everyone knows not to cancel their lake plans. Too much at stake here for the local economy.

jcl

Good Deal! Personally i never thought it should have closed but thats what happens when big government runs everything. Much like the rule where you can no longer have a gas grill on the docks.

They are going to regulate the lake in to non-existence

UrbanDisturbance

I agree. The government is out of control. Can't ride 4 wheeler on the beach. Can't ride in the woods. Can't cut down a tree on your own property because of a stupid woodpecker. And to top it off, I owe more taxes than I put in. This is the 1st year that has ever happened. There is one thing for sure, it's not going to get any better. Obama 2012 I am affraid he is going to win. Maybe he can spend another 20 trillion.

TexomaPowerboater

+1. We wadded in it during the BGA warning and it was a non-issue. This was an area where it the BGA was visible......along the shoreline. Even my one year old daughter was wading in it.

Pretty obvious the local community is fed up with this BGA nonsense. The judge coming out on this in indicative that if there is any more over-hyped hysteria over BGA the culprits may face prosecution.

jcl

No telling how much actual money, both business revs and local tax revs were lost this past year by these hyped up scare tactics. The USACE does not care about this though, they are fully funded by the Fed and do not care if the lake is used for recreation at all. It is a water reservoir to them and the more regulations and policy they can come up with the more jobs they can create and maintain.

Let free enterprise take over Lake Texoma and start building the economy around the lake. This would make way more money for the govt. and help grow local business as well as make Lake Texoma a travel destination as it once was.

TexomaPowerboater

Not really a fan of that either. The municipalities will destroy the asthetics of the lake after their developments run amock and go bankrupt. Last thing we want is another lake travis or lake grand where the entire shoreline is littered with lakehouses stacked on top of each other.

endeavor1

iTrader: (3)

Agree with you on that one Andy

WildRooster

Couldn't be more excited about Texoma getting a clean/cleaner bill of health. I just moved back to Ardmore, OK and will be out on the lake all summer long!! The last several years I've lived in Fort Worth so I have heard about the BGA BS and I have to admit it was a little unnerving to listen to the warnings that were being spilled to the media. Not that I agree either way, but I guess that is what happens in a society where through media coverage and slander we crucify every move anyone makes.....it causes most to run from responsibility and those who do take on big responsibilities like public health to wear their tighty whities a little too tightly around their neck. I can't really blame them for being overly cautious, but I'll settle for the plain truth any day. .

TexomaPowerboater

I can when not a single person has gotten sick from BGA at Lake Texoma. A warming like the one we saw last year should explicitly be barred unless actual cause and affect can be proven. You can't yell fire in a theatre...................and they shouldn't have been able to of done what they did, thus, the reason for the judge to come out on this. Millions have been lost to the local economies from this overreaction..............which i squarely blame on Senator Inhofe of OK.

Heathsp29

Can't wait till memorial weekend. Would love to see Texoma gain its mystique back. I hope there will be a poker run once again and bring in the numbers it once did.