- Local nonprofit Stewards of Lake Seminole is using a floating excavator to remove invasive plants from Spring Creek, Flint River, and Lake Seminole in an effort to restore water quality and revive the lake’s ecosystem.
- Founder Steve Dickman and volunteers like Richard Reetz have helped raise $4 million over 2.5 years through state, federal, and local funding to tackle decades of unchecked aquatic plant overgrowth.
- Watch the story to learn how the Stewards of Lake Seminole are clearing waters in Seminole and Decatur Counties.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Big changes are underway in the ongoing mission to clean and restore the beloved waters that flow into Lake Seminole.
A local nonprofit, Stewards of Lake Seminole, is leading an ambitious effort to remove invasive aquatic plants from Spring Creek, the Flint River, and Lake Seminole using a unique method: a floating excavator. This specialized machinery allows crews to access and clear overgrown vegetation directly from the water — a key step toward improving water quality and restoring the lake’s once-renowned fishing environment.
“Historically, Lake Seminole has been a tremendous bass fishing lake,” said Steve Dickman, founder of Stewards of Lake Seminole. “At one point, it was in the top 10 in the United States. Today, it doesn’t even make the top 10 in the Southeast.”
Dickman, a Chemical Engineer by training, launched the organization to address long-standing environmental challenges that have plagued the lake for decades — namely, the spread of invasive species like Cuban bulrush, primrose, and water hyacinth. These fast-growing plants choke off native ecosystems and clog the shoreline, making recreation and fishing difficult.
“The problem is, there’s been no money for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address this. They receive federal funds based on commercial traffic — but our waters are primarily recreational,” Dickman explained.
In the last two and a half years, the nonprofit has raised $4 million through state and federal funding, as well as local donors such as the Fogg Family Charities Trust and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. These funds support a growing movement of community volunteers and equipment operators determined to rejuvenate the lake.
Local fisherman Richard Reetz is one of them.
“We clean up two miles of shoreline, then move to another area and do another two or three miles,” Reetz said. “Hopefully, if we keep doing that, it’ll become more noticeable and have a larger effect to resurrect the lake.”
Reetz and Dickman both say they’re optimistic that their efforts will lead to a visible transformation over time — not just in the health of the water, but in the sense of pride and possibility among locals.
“To give people hope when there wasn’t any hope in the past,” said Dickman. “And to show them that it can be done if we all work together.”
With public and private support growing, the Stewards of Lake Seminole believe this is just the beginning of a long-overdue revival for one of Georgia’s most cherished natural resources.
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