A Macon homeowner is attempting to solve a problem that has been floating around for a while. A buildup behind his home has made it impossible for him to dock his boat.
Macon resident Patrick Spencer has a house on the water and a dock, but his boat is parked next to his house.
"A canoe may be able to float here,” says Spencer.
He moved into his home along Lake Tobesofkee last December. Spencer says since then the silt has been building up along his house making it impossible for him to dock his boat.
"Some of the millions that they have generated in revenue over many years of property taxes on this lake should be put towards the removal of silt and buildup,” Spencer suggests.
He says just a few years ago one of his neighbors decided to bring in machines to dredge his part of the lake around his dock after he got permission from the city. But Spencer says the project was shut down by the Environmental Protection Agency. Even after the neighbor paid for the project himself.
The manager of Lake Tobesofkee, Donald Bradwell, says all the changes made on the lake, even at resident's homes, has to be approved and requires a permit. But he says not many people outside of Brown’s Cove have experienced this issue.
"Probably about 3 years ago, people started complaining about, you know, the dredging of the lake, but you don't get many phone calls. It's pretty much in the coves of the lake, which is normal because of all the rain washed the dirt in,” says Bradwell.
Spencer says they should not have to pay for the repairs on a lake that does not belong to them, so he wants the county to step in.
"Make it so that all of us on the lake can enjoy having our boats here and having the full use of the lake,” says Spencer.
He says access to the lake is a part of his community's appeal. Several people from the county have already been out to Spencer's house and agree the lake must be dredged. Lake Tobesofkee will be drained a few feet come December 12th, but that still will not solve Spencer's boat dilemma. Residents also pay $150 a year for access to a community dock that is unusable because of low water levels.