The Tennessee Valley Authority is working to clean up invasive plants on its waterways as peak boating season gets underway.
TVA says a recent run of warm winters has increased the amount of vegetation they're seeing on the water. TVA says the problem hasn't been at this level since the late 1980s.
Invasive plants like Eurasian Water Milfoil and Hydrilla can cause a mess of headaches for boaters.
"This guy does not have anything naturally that can keep it in check," said Brett Hartis, a TVA program manager, referring to some of the plants workers pulled out of Watts Bar Lake on Thursday.
The invasive plants aren't great for a reservoir system that generates $11.9 billion a year, so TVA patrols the water in air boats looking for areas of high growth. They work with another company to manage the plants.
"It's the equivalent of cutting the grass with herbicides," Hartis said.
It's a balancing act, though, because fish thrive in the weeds.
"Largemouth bass have an affinity for vegetation. They like it and can do very well in places with a lot of aquatic vegetation," Hartis said.
TVA works to strike a balance by cutting down plants in areas that boats and people need to access in the reservoir.
"We're trying to find a balanced approach to management where we are managing the area so everyone can access the reservoir, but also preserving the positive aspects of the plants," Hartis said.
It's an ongoing job as the plants grow back every few weeks, keeping TVA crews busy all season long.