Murphy – After three weeks, David Vanderlaan had seen enough of the dead cow in the Valley River.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Murphy Police Department were made aware of the cow, which reached its demise a couple hundred yards upstream from the end of Cloe Moore Drive. It’s clearly visible to children playing in Konehete Park and anyone on the River Walk.
“Nothing has been done to date to remove the carcass,” Vanderlaan said in a letter. “I’m concerned about the sanitation and health issues this bloated carcass may present to boaters, fishermen, kids and other folks that use the river downstream – not to mention the smell and downright horrible sight presented to residents and visitors.
“Please, can something be done?”
Vanderlaan’s letter ended up with Town Manager Chad Simons, who responded that town officials did, in fact, make efforts to remove the animal from the river several weeks ago – even though eliminating hazards like this from waterways is not their responsibility.
“We initially contacted Tennessee Valley Authority, since we assumed they wouldn’t want it in a body of water they regulated,” Simons wrote Vanderlaan back. “They explained to us that they didn’t have the resources to handle it.”
The town doesn’t have the resources, either. But at least they made an attempt.
“Our trackhoe doesn’t have the reach to get down in there off the bank, and if we had a larger piece of equipment that could handle the task, the animal would very likely fall apart once we tried to lift and remove it – creating an even bigger mess,” Simons wrote.
“The Valley River faces a lot of challenges with cattle, but I know many of our farmers do have a good working relationship with Mainspring – and take reasonable efforts to keep the river as clean as possible.
“Unfortunately, things like this do happen on occasion. As you probably know, agriculture is exempt from the provision of the Clean Water Act.”
After calling multiple local and state agencies, the Cherokee Scout is still not sure who is responsible for removing dead animals from local waterways – and neither seemingly are they. As with many things nowadays, nothing is as easy at it might seem – even removing a dead cow from the river.