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First Lake Norman Lakekeeper's Appointed
Longtime Lake Norman residents, Jay and Selah Bunzey, were
recently chosen by their peers to head the two-year-old group of volunteers who
investigate water quality problems on the Catawba's largest lake.
Catawba Riverkeeper® Donna Lisenby said she was thrilled that the couple had
agreed to take the position, which will require them to monitor pollution issues
on Lake Norman. "Jay has chaired the Covekeeper committee and been the force
behind establishing Covekeeper territories and patrol protocols," said Lisenby.
"Selah's strength is writing and communication. Their leadership is proven and
superlative," she added.
Covekeepers are volunteer, concerned citizens who respond to Catawba Riverkeeper®
hot-line calls and pollution violation reports in conjunction with Lisenby. They
are a neighborhood watch group for the Catawba lakes. The Lakekeeper position involves
coordinating the work of this group. By having local residents participate, the
Catawba Riverkeeper® program is able to have eyes and ears in every nook and cranny
where the Covekeeper program is established.
Jay Bunzey said the couple is excited about being named Lakekeeper. “We’ve got a
great group of people and a lot of support from them and Donna Lisenby,” said
Jay, who is self-employed and been living in the Lake Norman area for the last
30 years. Jay and Selah, who works for an investment company, have two
daughters, Hannah, 9, and Ellen, 11. Bunzey said the biggest challenge he sees
on Lake Norman is over-development. "There are four counties that border the
lake and each has different rules and regulations," he noted.
About 40 people actively participate in monthly Lake Norman Covekeeper
meetings and have been trained to spot pollution and water quality problems.
Norman joins Wylie, southwest of Charlotte, as the second lake to have an
all-volunteer group to assist the Catawba Riverkeeper® in water-quality
monitoring efforts.
The Covekeeper program began in 1998 and Steve and Pat Cashion were named the
first Lakekeeper on Lake Wylie in 1999 . Training programs for Covekeepers are
under way on Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wateree. A Lakekeeper will be chosen
for those lakes within the year.
This year, the Catawba River, which winds its way from the mountains to the sea
along 225 miles of the Carolinas , had the dubious distinction of being
designated one of the nation's Top 13 threatened rivers by American Rivers. The
Covekeeper system will help ensure that water quality in the threatened river is
protected.
For more information about the Covekeeper program, please contact Pam Beck,
volunteer coordinator for Catawba Riverkeeper®, at (704) 373-1916.
Be sure to visit our websites for additional information:
http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org
http://www.lakenormankeepers.com
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Feature Story
For Immediate Release
Catawba Riverkeeper®
704-373-1916
Lake Guardians Appointed
WESTPORT, NC - Jay Bunzey has seen the waters of Lake Norman change
over the years from clear and clean to questionable quality. Bunzey, and wife
Selah, were recently named the first Lakekeeper for Lake Norman, the biggest
manmade lake on the Catawba River chain.
"In 1968, there was virtually nobody discharging treated sewage in Lake
Norman," says Jay Bunzey. "Through the early 1980s, the water was clear enough
to see down 15 to 20 feet in places," he recalls. "Now 33 years later, there are
approximately 35 sewage discharges into the Lake Norman watershed... and
sometimes these plants do not discharge a product fit for human contact."
The Bunzeys see the explosive growth in the Lake Norman area and the
accompanying sewer package treatment plants as just one of the many challenges
they face in their new role as Lakekeeper. Jay and Selah Bunzey were recently
chosen by their peers to head the two-year-old group of Covekeeper volunteers
who investigate water quality problems on Charlotte's largest lake.
The group serves as a neighborhood watch group for Lake Norman, the second on
the Catawba to have a team of Covekeepers. By having local residents
participate, the Catawba Riverkeeper® is able to have eyes and ears in every nook and cranny of the river
where the Covekeeper program is established.
Jay and Selah Bunzey also see the intentional discharge of untreated sewage
from large
boats as a growing concern on Lake Norman. "They are disgusting to say the
least," said Jay
Bunzey. "There are pumpouts on the lake, but some of these people think they can
get away with it."
The couple, along with daughters Hannah, 9, and Ellen, 11, live on a quiet cove
on the western end of Lake Norman, so they have firsthand experience with some of the
problems.
The lack of buffer zones on Lake Norman is starting to take its toll on
Charlotte's largest
recreation source for many residents of the Piedmont, the Bunzeys feel. Lawns
that extend to the water's edge and riprap instead of vegetation are slowly
eating away at the natural Catawba beauty of Lake Norman. "Once these buffers are
destroyed, all this pollution flows straight into
the lake," notes Selah Bunzey, who, like her husband, moved to the Charlotte area
several decades ago.
"The water quality in Lake Norman is still good by state standards," notes
Selah Bunzey.
"And we want to maintain that standard and work to make it better still."
Education is the key, she feels. "We have a long way to go, but I believe
people are beginning to understand how important Lake Norman is to this region.
Through public education and enforcement of pollution laws, we can keep Lake
Norman clean and a viable resource for generations to come."
About 40 people actively participate in monthly Lake Norman Covekeeper meetings
and have been trained to spot pollution and water quality problems. Norman joins
Wylie, southwest of Charlotte, as the second lake to have an all-volunteer group
to assist the Catawba Riverkeeper®.
Jay says his father instilled in him a sense of respect for the environment.
“My dad used to say: "Animals don't foul their own nest, why should we?’ I think that's
a good way to look at things."
To interview the Bunzeys, please contact Pam Beck, volunteer coordinator for
Catawba Riverkeeper®, at (704) 373-1916. |
