Boone Lake Association

The Boone Lake Association is one of the oldest established environmental groups in the state of Tennessee. It was formed in 1983 to oversee the water quality of Boone Lake. Why is there a need for such an organization? Boone Lake is the most used lakes for its size in the TVA chain. It is surrounded by five municipalities, three of which discharge wastewater into the lake or it tributaries. Boone Lake has a unusually large watershed for its size spanning over 600 square miles. There are over 600 streams and tributaries that feed Boone Lake.

There is no single governmental entity that has comprehensive responsibility for the cleanliness and water quality of Boone Lake. TVA monitors some elements of the lake’s water mainly having to do with its hydroelectric operations. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation does some monitoring of the lake’s water in the summertime, but does not have the funds or manpower to carry on a comprehensive, ongoing monitoring and cleanup program. Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency does some water testing and monitors aquatic life in the lake, but here again does not have the manpower to execute a broad water quality program. And no one has a program to collect trash and debris that washes into or is discarded into the lake.

Boone Lake Association works with all of the governmental agencies striving to get Boone Lake the attention it needs to preserve its water quality for the thousands of people who enjoy the lake. The Association has a comprehensive year-round program to collect and dispose of trash and debris from the lake. This program removes large logs and other objects that would be a hazard to boating. This is a major area of concern. Each year the association collects hundreds of tons of trash from the lake. Hundreds of old tires dumped in the lake are collected and properly disposed of.  Thousands of feet of limbs, trees and old lumber are collected and disposed of. This effort takes our volunteer members along with a number of paid employees. We have and maintain three boats used exclusively for this cleanup effort. If you are a user of Boone Lake, you’ve probably seen our boats on the water. They work out of marinas on both the Watauga and South Holston arms of the lake.

The Boone Lake Association is truly a grassroots organization. Traditionally it has been funded solely by contributions and the dues of members. We receive no tax dollars or government grants. One hundred percent of the money collected goes to our mission of keeping Boone Lake clean for people to enjoy. However the need continues to grow. More trash and debris are being washed into the lake. However the need continues to grow. Trash continues to pour into our lake from an ever increasingly trash-strewn country side via roadside ditch-lines and streams. The Boone Lake Association has to grow to meet these needs. To grow we must have the support of people who have an interest in or enjoy using Boone Lake.