ROANOKE, Va. – If you’ve been out on Smith Mountain Lake, you may have seen the debris, anything from fallen tree limbs to even trash.
Appalachian Power, which owns and operates the dam and the Leesville Dam to generate power, is cleaning it up.
The company has one crew out right now, hitting heavily impacted areas, such as the Roanoke arm of the lake.
Starting next week, Appalachian Power will have full crews out. Appalachian Power typically does this between April and October.
The company said it would get to the debris without damaging your property. However, it said if you see something under your dock, pull it out so they can get to it.
Director of Communications George Porter said that with the rains expected, you can expect more debris.
“But also, lately we’ve been seeing a lot of windstorms. You know, those are the ones that toppled trees down. And as those trees fall, especially on those already saturated banks, those will fall into the lakes and rivers and head downstream,” said Porter.
Appalachian Power is also asking for your help to report the debris.
“So, you guys see things out there that’s in the water. We need you guys to go to our website. There’s a link there to report debris, and we need you guys to let us know where it is and be as thorough as you can. You know, let us know if it’s by a lateral mark. Is it a log, or is it just a bunch of brush and grass or trees or things like that? So, we need that debris report to be as completely filled out as possible to help us get to those locations,” said Porter.
