Faces of the Lake

Faces of Lake Martin

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

In addition to operating Martin Dam, Alabama Power sponsors trash cleanups around the lake, maintains trails and picnic areas, monitors eagle populations and more

From journeymen at Martin Dam to the river and reservoir crews, the real estate, recreation and environmental teams, it’s the people working daily at Alabama Power that make Lake Martin great. How it happens probably does not cross the minds of vacationing families as they load the kids onto a tube for a ride around the lake or set off to hike one of the area’s beautiful trails. It likely does not enter the mind of a local fisherman as a striped bass puts up a memorable fight. When a retiring couple breaks ground on a dream home after completing the Alabama Power permit process, the guidelines and the staff that upholds them might seem extreme and overbearing, but it’s those very people and practices that make the lake the wonder and economic engine that it is, starting at Martin Dam.

Construction at Martin Dam started 99 years ago, and it’s journeymen like Matt Thompson who keep it operating like new. A Sylacauga native, Thompson grew up fishing on Lake Martin with his father and now casts a line with his wife and two young daughters. He’s been with the power company for 15 years; he’s been a hydro journeyman for seven of them.

“It’s tough to get a journeyman job because you have to have a lot of qualifications. You have to be operator, electrical and mechanic qualified because our job entails working on all those kinds of equipment. You don’t know from day to day what skills you will need for that day’s work,” Thompson explained. “They give you a lot of training. It’s a two-year hydro journeyman program, and you have to pass a written test and a hands-on test. It’s nice, though, because you get to use all of your skills here.”

There is no such thing as a typical day for a hydro journeyman, though every day does include wiping down equipment, inspections and creating punch lists of work that needs to be done.

“We check oil levels and cooling water daily. Depending on the weather, it can change the oil level, and we need to keep the oil and air pressure in a

certain range, so we have to be on top of that. There might be places that need welding or grinding out,” he said. “We have to make sure we don’t let any trash in when we let water into the turbines because that will break the sheer pins – and we have to make sure those are greased. While the water level and turbine operations are handled Matt Thompson in Birmingham, any alarms sent to the dam must be handled by the journeymen, including raising and lowering the spillgates in a heavy rain event. The crew may open as many as six of the 20 gates that top the 2,000-foot long dam, moving the crane, hooking the gate in two places and then lifting and securing it. “It’s got two motors on it, but they don’t necessarily run at the same speeds, so we have to keep a real good eye not to wedge the gates. It takes about an hour to get it set up. After it’s hooked up, it only takes about five minutes to get the gate up. After that, it’s smooth. It might take 20 minutes to do the next gate. We usually raise the gates about twice a year, depending on the weather,” Thompson said.Travis Cheaney “We take pride in our job here. We want to be reliable and do our part to keep the lake levels up and the environment clean where people are happy.” Superintendent Travis Cheaney also grew up in the shadow of Martin Dam, and he echoes the pride Thompson takes in his work, which includes connecting the dam and powerhouse to the local community. “We’ve had to limit it some with COVID, but we’re hoping to get back to giving tours and opening up in the near future,” Cheaney said. “We invite the local fire and police departments down here once a year to discuss any changes in the plant and make them aware of any hazards, like chemicals, that we have on site, so they have an idea of the layout and they have a plan in place if they have to come in here for an emergency.” The crew even saved a woman’s life last fall. “A lady had lost control of her car coming across the bridge and went off the embankment. You

couldn’t see the car from the road, and people were driving by and didn’t notice her there,” Cheaney said. “One of my crew members found her. Some of my crew at the plant is trained in rescue, and they were able to help her until the life flight ambulance could get here, so they could get her to the trauma center.”

Though most days at the dam are not as eventful as saving a person’s life, such observation skills are important in maintaining all aspects of the four dams on the river. That’s the job of Tallapoosa River Manager Chris Goodman. With a crew of 31 employees, including mechanics, electricians, operators and superintendents, as well as compliance specialists, everyone must wear a variety of hats, said Goodman, who travels up and down the river through each dam weekly.

“When I come to the dam, I do walkdowns to make sure the dam is in good working order. I walk through the plant and make observations on housekeeping and operations,” he said. “We’re a fairly lean and efficient group, so we share resources up and down the river. Employees at one dam might work at another if we have a large project, and we share equipment and inventory items and coordinate with one another for high flow events. Our primary job is flood control.”

Goodman coordinates projects between the dams and sets the budget each year, as well as coordinates with corporate offices and the reservoir team, which manages the flows.

The shoreline management team is charged with protecting the lake property and making sure any shoreline activities are completed in compliance with Alabama Power’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license to operate Martin Dam and manage project lands and its U.S. Corps of Engineers Army Programmatic General Permit, which authorizes approval authority for certain shoreline activities within these project lands.

Kristi Cheaney coordinates the workflow for team leader Rhett Hanks and four independent contractors, along with Clint McKelvey, who are on the lake

nearly every day. They make regular patrols to ensure any construction work is consistent with the general guideline for residential shoreline permitting. Preceded by a 490-page environmental impact statement, the license stipulates setback lines, buffer zones, seawall materials and other regulations. Alabama Power issues the Chris Goodman required permits for any construction, repairs or improvements to lake homeowners’ properties. “The regulations also help to protect lake residents’ investments, keeping one person from constructing something that might encroach or adversely affect one of their neighbors,” explained Hanks, who grew up skiing on Lake Martin. “We find a lot of the violations ourselves, and most of the time, someone will contact us if we don’t find it on our patrols. The earlier we can address the problem, the faster – and less expensive – to correct.” The team manages shoreline activity for all of the lakes on the Tallapoosa River system, Rhett Hanks except Lake Harris, but 90 percent of their time is spent on Lake Martin, Hanks said. “There’s more construction here,” he explained. “We try to encourage people to apply for permits early. The permit is good for a full year, and if they apply in summer or at least in the fall, we are able to turn the applications around faster then.” McKelvey addresses most of the encroachment issues on the lake. “Addressing encroachments ensures that what is being built is within the guidelines. It helps to protect recreational use by making sure things are not being built that would hinder someone’s access. In our dayto-day work, whether we are on the lake or processing permits, we take those things into account, as well as aesthetic values,” McKelvey said. It’s a task he takes seriously, as McKelvey grew up at Eagle Creek, near Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. “I’ve been here my whole life. I grew up fishing on

Lake Martin,” he said.

Kristi Cheaney keeps applications moving through the permitting process, from entering information in the system to collecting approval letters and other paperwork. She also schedules inspections and follows up with customers when additional information must be obtained.

“I follow every application through the system until the permit is issued,” she said. “I also take any complaints.”

“We couldn’t do what we do without her,” Hanks said.

“January has been our highest volume month so far. We had more than 200 new applications. Last year, we issued more than 1,200 permits,” Kristi noted. “We try very hard to get everyone what they need, so the work they need to do can be done. I work 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but I work until the work is done. The filing might get put off until I have more time, but the priority is that everybody gets the permit they need.”

Over her eight years in the Dadeville office, Kristi has developed a system that keeps applications from getting lost in the shuffle. The amount of time it takes to process a permit application varies, as some areas of the lake require additional paperwork, such as approval letters from homeowners associations.

“It goes faster if a customer submits the application through the apcshorelines.com website because that gives us more information. They also can drop off hard copies in the box we keep out in the front of the building. Because of COVID, the office is still closed to the public,” she explained.

In addition to processing permits and investigating encroachment issues, McKelvey inspects boat ramps and recreational sites. When he finds something amiss – trash dumping or fallen trees that block access – he reports it to environmental affairs. Though the scope of their work doesn’t cross paths with the shoreline management team, they support each other’s missions. The mission of the environmental team is to protect Alabama’s

natural resources by promoting conservation and taking stewardship of the lake. “But we certainly don’t do that by ourselves,” said Jason Carlee, water field services manager. “We work with conservation partners in state, federal and private sectors and collect data used to verify regulation compliance. That means we are working with Lake Kristi Cheaney Martin Resource Association, Water Watch, the Department of Conservation and others all the time.” Carlee’s team focuses primarily on water quality, but the work also includes protecting wildlife habitat, controlling invasive weeds, minimizing erosion and monitoring the bald eagle population. “For example, we have requirements to maintain minimum levels of dissolved oxygen. My team makes sure the monitors are calibrated properly and the data is collected and conveyed for analysis and then reported to ADEM,” Carlee explained. Carlee’s team surveys the lake at least twice a year in their vigilance against invasive Clint McKelvey weeds. “We are on the water quite a bit, but we also rely on homeowners,” he said. “They are pretty quick to let us know if they see something show up that they are not used to seeing.” He urges anyone who suspects an invasive vegetation stand to report it on the website or on the smartlakes app. The team also creates fish habitat and plants water willow, which provides excellent spawning habitat. They monitor the bald eagle population at Lake Martin, too, even though the birds are no longer on the protected species list. “Last year, we counted 11 bald eagles at Lake Martin. We think there are more of them here, but that’s just the ones we saw. Just because there might be an eagle nest on or near a person’s property does not mean a permit for construction wouldn’t be issued. We just want to make sure they are aware of it and they know the regulations and setback lines. The same goes for wetlands and cultural

Journeymen conduct an array of jobs at Martin Dam, including opening spillgates after high rain events

resources,” Carlee explained.

“At Martin, minimizing erosion is a major focus. We know that shoreline construction is important, and most of it is done while the water is down, which is good, but with a typical block or vertical wall, the waves can hit the toe and wash out the earth from behind it. Riprap or a sloped design can help with that. These are the kinds of environmental conditions associated with the permits.”

Buffer zones are another important environmental consideration that the team monitors, Carlee said.

“A lot of homeowners on the lake want a well manicured lawn and a clear site line, but it’s important to leave a natural buffer there when you can. That way, fertilizer doesn’t run right into the lake, which impacts water quality. A 15 to 30 foot buffer also leaves access to wildlife.

“I grew up in Anniston, but I’ve spent a lot of time on Martin. It’s easier to recreate on Lake Martin because it is in such good shape. It’s a special place,” he added.

Building and maintaining the lake’s recreational sites is the job of Sheila Smith, who has been with Alabama Power for 30 years. Smith’s background is in business, but her passion led to the job that is likely most noticed by visitors.

“I took over the recreation management role before it was a role,” Smith laughed.

“The recreation program has grown and expanded over the years. We’ve taken a lot of classes and looked at other utilities to see how they operate and to pick up ideas,” Smith said. “We have made a lot of changes as we have learned, changes that not only are good for the public but also are easier for us to maintain, and we partner with the Alabama Department of Conservation and with Freshwater Fisheries with our in-house engineers who are professionals at boat ramps. Georgia Power was in the recreation business before us, and we have learned a lot talking with them. At FERC conferences, we annually visit other utilities’ sites. It’s helpful being on site and working with people who have done it before,” she said.

Smith leads a four-person team, along with a host of maintenance contractors and outside vendors, to visit each of Lake Martin’s 12 recreational sites every week year round and some locations daily during the summer season. They are supported by the local shoreline management office and have working agreements with the Alabama Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries on some projects. In all, the team manages 68 public access sites across the threeriver system.

Vandalism is a constant concern, Smith said.

“We keep fixing it, and we do inspections frequently. We don’t want someone to show up at our sites and have something be torn up,” she said. “We stay on top of it and make sure we get everything taken care of in a timely manner.

“Recently, we finished a new playground and a new paved walking trail at DARE Park. That is our most

Alabama Power maintains the Nature’s Way trails at Lake Martin

CRATA volunteers take part in Alabama Power’s Renew Our Rivers annual cleanup

popular day-use park, and Pace’s Point is the boat ramp that gets the heaviest use. That being a bigger ramp parking area, there are a lot of bass tournaments that go out of that one.”

The recreation sites include boat ramps, launching piers, picnic areas with grills, restrooms, a playground, gazebos, benches, fishing piers and trails, and many of the amenities are fully accessible. These recreation opportunities are one way Alabama Power is directly involved in the community.

“We are filling a need in economics. The fishermen are coming in and spending the night, spending money in the community. Our trails are another way to help the community. They are bringing in people who come to stay for a few days and not just hike one trail but also several others. We are expanding what is already here, but it’s also supporting the community,” Smith said.

Community service is a big part of the culture at Alabama Power, said Goodman, who acts as liaison for the inaugural Water Cycle distance bike ride scheduled for this March. Martin Dam will host the event, which will benefit Engineers Without Borders and will include lunch and entertainment after the ride. “They head up projects in Guatemala and other places to provide clean water and other mission type things,” Goodman explained. Cheaney’s dam team has adopted the mile of shoreline occupied by the dam and powerhouse, so they regularly pick up trash that has washed up near the dam. They are active with the annual Renew Our Rivers cleanup and assist Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association volunteers, as well. “We discuss some of the issues CRATA has with vandalism or trespassing and try to support them. We have to run everything by the shoreline management group, so we are abiding by the same guidelines as everyone else,” he said. “Recently, they had someone try to drive around the main entrance gate on the trail and push some trees up. We got in there with an ATV and helped position some big rocks to keep that from happening again.”

A similar attitude of stewardship can be found among every Alabama Power crew at Martin Dam and reflects the history of community service the dam represents.

“Typically, some of the equipment we install or work on may be there for the next 50 years. We feel the weight of responsibility of the torch being passed to us to leave the dam in good working order, providing power to the community,” Goodman said. “When I am looking out at the river, I am aware of the fact that someone else was looking out at this river 70 years ago and that we need to leave it better than we found it.”