Statement from Athens Municipal Water Authority Regarding Recent Hazard Incidents
June 23, 2020
The Athens Municipal Water Authority was made aware of an obstruction located on the west side of Sunset Peninsula, approximately 50 feet off the boathouses located on that portion of the Oakwood Subdivision. The Authority was informed of this obstruction at 9:15 A.M. on Friday, June 19, 2020.
By 1:00 P.M. the same day, the Authority had marked the obstruction.
It was brought to the Authority’s attention that a boating resident had already hit the obstructive pipe at an earlier date. The Authority was not informed of this at the time of the incident.
If the Authority had been informed of the first incident, the second incident would not have occurred, as the obstruction could have already been marked/removed from Lake Athens.
There have also been reports of an incident involving a pipe located off of Peninsula Point. That is true, however this incident occurred in March, and the pipe was marked with both a blue and while floating fender.
After this incident the pipe off of Peninsula Point was more obviously marked. The work that the pipe was involved in on Peninsula Point has been completed and the pipe was removed approximately six weeks ago.
Both of these obstructive pipes were in the water to mark boundaries for dredging that Lake Athens residents had contracted for.
It is unfortunate that the pipe off of Oakwood was accidently left behind, following the completion of the dredging project. The pipe off of Peninsula Point was removed with the rest of the equipment following the completion of that project.
Additionally, the boaters who were involved in these incidents have all been in contact with the dredging contractor. Two of the three boaters have already been compensated for damage to their boats. The Authority and the dredging contractor are working together to prevent this from happening in the future.
The Authority would like everyone to know that safety is always one of our top priorities regarding Lake Athens. However, it is always the responsibility of the watercraft operator to keep an eye out for obstructions. Additionally, if there is an obstruction, please report it to the proper authority, the Athens Municipal Water Authority. No other entity on Lake Athens has the authorization or control to mark or require removal of obstructions on Lake Athens.
