By Echo Menges
The City of Memphis is asking city lake property visitors to be respectful of the public lakes by refraining from burning nail filled pallets and leaving trash behind at the city properties.
The old and new Memphis City Lakes are also known as Lake Showme and the old city reservoir located two miles southwest of the City of Memphis off State Highway 136 and State Highway 15 respectively.
At Lake Showme, visitors are welcomed to fish, boat, and hike free of charge. The property offers public restrooms, which are maintained by the City of Memphis, and three campgrounds offer power and water hookups at a $20 per night fee.
At the Old City Lake reservoir, fishing, boating, and primitive camping are permitted free of charge. There are no restroom facilities offered.
Swimming is not permitted at either of the lake properties.
Trash and off-road driving have become a nuisance at the properties.
“When people get off the roads and rutt up the grounds, it makes it hard for the city staff to mow and maintain the properties,” said MDP Captain Bill Holland. “We also see a lot of pallets being burned at the campsites, and all of the nails from those are left behind making it a tire hazard for city vehicles and mowing equipment.”
Other types of fire debris like copper pipes used to change the colors of campfire flames are often left behind in and around fire pits, along with other types of trash.
“We hope visitors will be more respectful of the lakes and do their part in cleaning up after themselves,” said Holland.
