POWERGRAMS

ENERGIZERS 6 Working more than 25 years in cleanups on Smith Lake, Jim Murphy has seen it all. Name almost any item, and Murphy has likely fished it from the water: aluminum cans, broken chairs, freezers and refrigerators, inner tubes, plastic bottles, Styrofoam from piers and decks, tires, TVs – the list goes on. It's difficult to put a dollar figure on the sweat equity Murphy has invested in the watershed. But when Murphy talks about Smith Lake, his reasons for taking care of the reservoir are as crystal clear as its deep, cool waters. "I love everything about it, looking out the window and seeing the lake. I love riding in my boat and seeing the beautiful scenery," said Murphy, who retired in 2014 after a 40-year career in Environmental Affairs. "It's like a sedative, it's so peaceful. It's a lot closer than going to the beach and provides the same relaxation. I love looking at real estate on the lake, too. The houses are getting bigger and bigger." In the 1980s, Murphy bought a trailer on the lakeshore, joined the Smith Lake Preservation Committee (SLPC) and began removing trash from the reservoir. In 2000, Alabama Power employees birthed the Renew Our Rivers project to remove litter along the Coosa River, and those efforts eventually reached Smith Lake. Murphy has worked alongside ROR Coordinator and Environmental Affairs Specialist Mike Clelland at Smith Lake for 12 years. Murphy is instrumental to the ROR mission, attending meetings and working in four cleanups yearly for SLPC, the Smith Lake Civic Association and Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy. "Jim is a local cleanup coordinator and comes out on the pontoon boat with us, participating in every way possible," said Clelland, who will work in 30 ROR cleanups this year. "It's neat to work with so many groups. I get to see their perspective when they see the impact of the trash on the reservoir." Indeed, anything one can imagine bringing to the lake for a day of fun can end up in the water. "Sometimes it's stuff that's blown off people's piers during a storm," Murphy said. "A lot of trash comes from the roads and from creeks that run into the lake. It's just like a drain. It adds up." Murphy annually prepares for the SLPC cleanups for months, scheduling the events with Clelland, providing volunteers' T-shirt sizes and arranging delivery of a dumpster from the Cullman County Sanitation Department. Since building a home near Smith Dam, Murphy divides his time between the lake and his other residence in Cullman. His volunteer hours benefit the Jasper Chapter of the Energizers, the community service organization for retirees of Alabama Power, Southern Nuclear and Southern Company Services in Alabama. Murphy estimates that he's worked in nearly 100 cleanups throughout the years, and that work is evident. "The lake is a lot cleaner than it was 20 years ago," he said. "Every time we go, our trash collections get smaller." With the extra time to get out on the lake and improve the area he loves, Murphy has no plans to slow down any time soon. "I like meeting the people around the lake," Murphy said. "I don't volunteer for a lot of stuff, but maybe doing this is my mission, doing my little part to improve it. Every time you clean up, you're really helping the lake. It's so nice to take a boat ride and look at the lake and realize it's really a clean lake." FOR LOVE OF THE LAKE Retiree volunteers hundreds of hours in ROR cleanups By Donna Cope Murphy and other volunteers aid ROR. Murphy with APC Environmental Affairs VP Susan Comensky and Jim Easton, president of Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy. Photos courtesy of Smith Lake Living

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