Snake in the QPL parking lot
People are paranoid. If you see a snake, please leave it alone.
Given Lake Archusa has vanished, more and more snakes are going to be seen out of the water. In fact, harmless watersnakes are probably the most common snakes in Quitman, They live in every ditch and stream around town and are NOT poisonous.
Recently there was a snake in the parking lot at Quitman Public Library and they called police.
It is wonderful that Quitman employs a police officer who knows how to handle and capture snakes. But really, if you leave snakes alone they will NOT bother you.
The snake in question is NOT a rattlesnake. It appears to be a common, harmless watersnake.
Now that we have no more Lake Archuusa, people may be seeing more and more watersnakes. Please LEAVE THEM ALONE. Do not call the police everytime you see a snake. The police have much more important things to be doing.
The watersnake is question was taken over by the river for release.
No telling how long it will be before there is water in Lake Archusa again. I think emergency repairs should be made to repair the dam and refill the lake. It should not take more than 2-4 weeks to repair the dam. Just fill it with earth and gravel. Then make plans to rebuild a new dam. Raise $3.0 to 6.0 million for the new dam project. Have the Army Corps of Engineers do the job and I guarantee you the next dam will last 100 years or longer.
If you go cheep it won't last any longer than the last dam. How long was that, 25 years for 1.5 million dollars. Not insured. Someone got jipped.
Stop worrying about snakes. Fix the dam. Don't delay. Everyone's property values have gone through the floor and snakes are crawling out into the parking lot of QPL. Fix the lake and do it NOW!
