Membership in SMLA is your best and easiest opportunity to ensure that the Lake that you have known and loved will continue to be environmentally preserved, safe in all recreational activities, and a place where you kids and grandkids will seek to enjoy. Join us and participate in one of our many Lake- protecting activities. It is your best and cheapest insurance you can buy to maintain your property value by preserving our treasure – The Jewel of the Blue Ridge.
What Does the SMLA Do For Smith Mountain Lake?
Below are current activities and reports that demonstrate SMLA’s level of commitment to our Lake. Other interesting and exciting accomplishments and activities can be viewed by browsing the website tabs at the top of every page.
84
Water Quality Monitoring Sites
23.12
Tons of Debris Removed During Lake Cleanup
5,000
Gallons of Effluent Disposed of
5,000
Sterile Carp Introduced
Smith Mountain Lake has been listed buy Boat U.S. magazine in their April/May edition as one of the top eight lakes in the country, and most recently, the June/July edition of Garden and Gun Magazine as one of the top 10 “Summer Lake Escapes”.
SMLA T-Shirts Now Available On-line!
Show your support for SMLA! Colorful, high quality SMLA T-Shirts are now available on our website Shop page. Find great T-Shirts for all of the family in 4 different exciting colors from Small to 3XL sizes.
SMLA Hosts “Active Shooter” Presentation
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department provided SMLA members and interested guests a riveting presentation on actual, recent, local Active Shooter situations. This event was sponsored by the Smith Mountain Lake Association as an educational opportunity for our members as well as for members of the community.
Instructors said the goal of the class is to educate people about an active shooter situation, saying you can’t hide and wait for an event to pass. You need to know what to do.
Participants learned ways to avoid being in an active shooter situation by being more aware of their surroundings, denying a shooter access by getting out of the line of fire or by locking themselves in a room and defending themselves if necessary.
Ask SMLA
I read that SMLA does not charge for pumping the sewage from boats. Why? This has to be expensive.
Just Wondering… Dear Wondering,
What a good question. We’re glad you asked. A little history on the pump out program, formerly known as Royal Flush, follows.
The 17 year old Vessel Pump Out Program is a cooperative effort between the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), SMLA, and TLAC. There is NO COST to boaters for this service as a condition for accepting funds from VDH. Total expenditures for the 2017 season were about $30,000. A grand from VDH covered 75%. TLAC supplied funds to cover the administrative costs. SMLA paid the balance.
Boaters who use the service are mailed a letter, after each use, letting them know that donations are accepted. A few are kind enough to send donations. Most don’t.
The Program operates each weekend; this year from Saturday, May 16 through Saturday, September 16. Boaters can call (540) 597- 9834, Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., to schedule their vessel pump out for the upcoming weekend. Additionally, the crew will try to work in other pump out requests by boaters who call Friday through Sunday.
During 2017 the program over 5,000 gallons of raw sewage was removed from 311 separate pump out operations. Though costly, SMLA feels this worthwhile service must continue. Discharging sewage into the lake is prohibited. We want to do all we can to make sure this does not happen.
You can help by making a donation. Go to www.smlassociation.org or you can mail a check to our office (address in the Masthead above) and designate it for Vessel Pump Out. Your support of this program, and of SMLA is greatly appreciated.
With Gratitude, SMLA
In early summer, a segment on the Today Show highlighted Electric Shock Drowning. They told the story of a father and his dog swimming in the water near a dock in obvious distress. The son saw their struggling and jumped in the water to help and was a victim of Electric Shock Drowning.…