ROCKY MOUNT, Va., July 26, 2010 – Appalachian Power Company has implemented an Aquatic Vegetation Treatment Permit Program to comply with its new federal operating license for the Smith Mountain Hydroelectric Project in southwestern Virginia.
 
The program establishes new guidelines for lake residents wishing to treat aquatic vegetation and is designed to monitor types, locations and extent of herbicide treatments that occur within the boundaries of both project reservoirs—Smith Mountain and Leesville lakes.
 
Shoreline property owners wishing to chemically treat aquatic vegetation must first obtain a permit from Appalachian Power.
 
“Permit applications may be completed by licensed applicators, but must be signed by the property owner or a homeowners association and returned to the company,” said Appalachian Process Supervisor Teresa Rogers.
 
“Only licensed applicators are authorized to use herbicides for treatment of aquatic vegetation in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Rogers added.
 
”There are specific aquatic herbicides approved for use in the two lakes.  The applicators may contact 540-489-2556 to obtain the approved list.”  
 
After each treatment, the licensed applicator must complete a Post-Treatment Report.  Copies of the report form can be found at the website shown below.
 
The property owner is responsible for notification of adjacent property owners prior to herbicide treatment. 
 
Aquatic Vegetation Removal Permits will be issued for treatment of non-native aggressive vegetation such as Hydrilla, Curlyleaf pondweed or Brazilian elodea.  Permits can be issued for the treatment of non-native nuisance aquatic vegetation, such as Brittle Naiad, if the vegetation is affecting recreational activities.
 
No aquatic vegetation treatments will be authorized during fish spawning season which occurs from mid-March through mid-June.  
    
Full details of the Aquatic Vegetation Permit Program are contained within Section 10 of the Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan.  To review a copy of the plan and to access permit applications and forms please visit www.smithmtn.com  under “Project License” and “Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan.” 
 
The Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA) has an established Weed Monitoring Program and Hotline to aid residents with reporting aquatic vegetation. Volunteers from this program will inspect shorelines upon request, assess the type of vegetation present and take samples if necessary.  The SMLA coordinates this information with the Tri-County Lake Administrative Commission (TLAC) and Appalachian Power for treatment consideration under their respective Aquatic Vegetation Programs.  The SMLA Hotline number is 540-719-WEED (540-719-9333). 
 
The new federal operating license for Appalachian Power’s Smith Mountain Hydroelectric Project became effective April 1, 2010.
 
Smith Mountain Project is a 636-megawatt pumped storage hydroelectric facility that utilizes an upper reservoir (Smith Mountain Lake) and a lower reservoir (Leesville Lake).  Water stored in Smith Mountain Lake passes through turbine-generators in the powerhouse to produce electricity and is discharged into Leesville Lake.  Most of the water is retained in Leesville Lake and pumped back into the Smith Mountain Lake for re-use.  A portion of the water goes through the turbine-generators at the Leesville powerhouse to generate additional electricity and to meet the minimum discharge requirements of the project´s operating license. 
 
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. 
 
 
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