by Thomas Marcum
The Martins Fork lake is a 340 acre reservoir located in Harlan county, KY. As a teenager in the late 1980s, I can remember the lake being a gathering spot for family and friends. Often times the swimming area was packed with people soaking up the sun. Martins Fork lake was a place where you
could rent paddle boats, fishing poles, water floats and more. The lake has long been a beautiful place for fishing, camping and grilling out.
But if you make a trip to the lake now, you will be very disappointed. The lake water level is down to it's lowest level ever, with parts of the lake being reduced to nothing more that a small creek. The once robust waterways now have islands in the middle of them. The normal buoyed off swimming area is nothing but dry land. There is no places there to rent paddle boats, buy bait, or grab a snack. On top of that the banks are littered with trash.
My, how things have changed.
According to an official, there is currently only two people employed to maintain the lake. A grounds keeper and a secretary. Another official comes through about every three months to monitor water output and water temperature. Information suggest that budget cuts are to blame for the poor quality of the lake.
It is sad to see the lake mismanaged in this fashion. Here in Southeastern Kentucky, there is a growing desire to become a tourism hot spot. Harlan county has done very well as a tourism area but there seems to be a lost opportunity with Martins Fork Lake, for whatever reasons. It is my understanding,the lake is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and that there is cost sharing with the county. Now, I do not know if Harlan county can actually step in and help this problem or even if it has the means to do so, but something needs done.
There is tremendous opportunity to make Martins Fork Lake a tourism stopping point. The lake, does still get a lot of visitors, there were about 19 fishing boats on it just a few days ago. But the question must be ask, with the lake in such bad shape, will any of those people be making a return visit? It seems doubtful.
I would like to see Martins Fork Lake thriving again. The potential is there for fishing tournaments, concerts and other fun activities but something has to change. The lake could be a good source of income for the area, if properly managed.
Lets hope better days are ahead for martins fork lake and Southeastern Kentucky.
Here is another photo comparison.
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| Water levels have further degraded in the last two weeks. This area of the lake is much more narrow now. |
Hopefully, by summer, water levels will return to normal.
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