ROANOKE, Va., April 11, 2008 – As warm weather and outdoor activities return to the Smith Mountain Project area, Appalachian Power reminds property owners and contractors that removal of many forms of vegetation along the shoreline requires prior approval from the company as outlined in the Shoreline Management Plan.

Shoreline vegetation is important to the environmental health and water quality of Smith Mountain and Leesville lakes.  Vegetation enhances the natural beauty of the lakes, helps prevent bank erosion and water pollution and provides wildlife habitat.

Appalachian Power developed a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) to assist management of the area within the project’s boundaries (the 800-foot contour elevation for Smith Mountain Lake and 620-foot contour elevation for Leesville). The SMP provides guidelines for public and private access to the project, protects and enhances non-power resources and reinforces the project’s primary function: the production of electricity.  

The SMP requires property owners seeking to remove shoreline buffer vegetation having stalks with a thickness measuring 1/2 inch or greater to obtain a vegetation removal permit from Appalachian prior to plant removal for any purpose. 

The purpose of the removal must be for installation of riprap, access to a dock, creation of a view, or general maintenance.  However, function of the buffer must be replaced with native vegetation.

Removal of vegetation without a permit from Appalachian Power may result in requirements to plant replacement vegetation and could delay the issuance of other permits for the property where the violation takes place.

The SMP and applications for vegetation removal permits are available on-line at www.smithmtn.com . 

For additional information, residents may contact Appalachian Power Hydro Support Specialist Ken Stump at 540-489-2543.

Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.