In April, Macon County Emergency Coordinator and Fire Marshal Jimmy Teem announced that the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and their contractors would be working in Macon County to remove primarily Hurricane Helene storm debris from waterways, including the Little Tennessee River, Cullasaja River, and Cartoogechaye Creek.
The work was expected to be completed by the end of April, but lasted through June 1. Crews with USACE used heavy equipment in difficult areas of the river to remove “dead and down trees that were leaning more than 30 degrees over the waterway and trees that had at least 50% of the roots exposed,” explained Teem.
Teem confirmed the areas where cleanup occurred.
“The Cullasaja River had debris cleanup from its intersection with the Little Tennessee River to Peeks Creek where access allowed; the Little Tennessee River debris cleanup was from Lake Emory to the Georgia line where access allowed; and, there was a small section of the Cartoogechaye Creek off Bill Dalrymple Road that was accessed and debris removed,” said Teem.
Once the project was underway, MountainTrue and other environmental groups rallied to try to stop the cleanup, insisting that the large salamander, called a hellbender, and other aquatic species were in danger because of tree and debris removal efforts. However, the project moved forward and, according to Teem, approximately 44,300 cubic yards of debris was removed from the Cullasaja and Little Tennessee rivers and a small portion of the Cartoogechaye Creek.
“All of the debris was ground and transported to Macon County Solid Waste,” he said.
Tree and debris removal, including household items, a boat, garbage, and more – due to flooding in some areas – has opened up waterways for kayaking, canoeing, tubing, and swimming.