Lake will have pump-out boat after all

Boaters with holding tanks can breathe a little easier this summer. A pump-out boat will operate on the lake during the 2012 season.

Jim Buchanan, Royal Flush committee chair for Smith Mountain Lake Association, has secured use of a Virginia Department of Health pump-out boat. This will provide pump-out services on the lake while SMLA works to replace the Royal Flush.

Last summer, The Royal Flush, a boat that had been used to empty holding tanks for 10 years, was pulled from the lake when its engine failed. The boat was provided by a VDH grant to prevent boaters from discharging their holding tanks into the lake.

The VDH boat will operate between Memorial and Labor Day weekends.