SAVANNAH, Ga. – Workers have begun to clear and re-mark approximately 50 miles of the boundary line between private land and federal land around Thurmond Lake. R&D Maintenance Services, a contractor with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will use bright orange paint to make boundary line “witness trees” more visible and easy to identify.
Workers will scrape old paint off the trees and apply fresh paint on the witness trees to mark the boundary line. If official boundary survey pins are not visible, workers will dig where pins were placed to expose them. Trees and brush will be cut to clear the line.
Crews will primarily work on the boundary in Columbia County beginning at Below Dam Georgia Park, winding around Lake Springs Park, Petersburg Campground, Keg Creek and Ridge Road subdivisions, Pointes West Army Resort and continuing southwest to the entrance of Mistletoe State Park.
Orange paint used to mark the boundary line on trees is normally a bright orange four-inch band around half of each tree. To make the boundary line less obtrusive in adjacent subdivisions, the witness tree blaze width is reduced to two inches painted on one quarter of the tree. The marked trees do not delineate the exact boundary; instead they “witness” the approximate boundary line. The exact line can only be located by surveying the monuments and official survey pins.
“Painted trees should never be used to determine the exact boundary line,” said Susan Boyd, chief ranger at Thurmond Lake. “When buying property or planning to build on land adjacent to public property, a professional survey is a good investment.” Encroaching on federal land, even by an inch, can lead to costly changes or forced removal of the structure.
Adjacent property owners should remove any personal property lying across the government line. Pets should not be unattended on public land, especially when workers are present.
“Work to re-mark the government boundary line will continue through autumn and winter and wrap up before spring,” Boyd said.
For questions about the work, call the Thurmond Lake office at 800-533-3478, ext. 1140
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