It's always a good idea to know where your property lines are when cutting timber. Around the twisting Toledo Bend Reservoir, that is sometimes a difficult matter, and landowners harvesting timber across their boundaries may be facing payback, according to recent studies by the Louisiana Sabine River authority at Many, Louisiana.

The Authority has announced a policy allowing landowners a deadline of May 1 to begin surveying their property along the water's edge. Surveys and boundary questions must be completed by November 1.

The Sabine River Authority of Louisiana, charged with the protection and control of Toledo Bend Lake and its surrounding region, says the lake was flooded in 1968, and people are no longer certain where the lake boundaries lie. Surveyors analyzed the 65-mile long area in the early 1960s and calculated the boudaries for the lake at a level of 175 feet above mean sea level at pool stage. Although plans were never to allow the lake to go that high.

The Sabine River Authority on both sides, approximately 550 miles of coastline on Louisiana side and 650 on Texas, proceeded to acquire the land that was surveyed to 175 feet pool stage beginning in 1963. Added to the surveyed line at 175 feet pool stage, there must also be a fifty foot perimeter around the lake at all points, even if the area lies near a high bluff and 175 feet is only one inch away from 172 feet of water stage.

In other places, flat areas, the line may be 300 feet from the lower pool stage line. This line marks where the water usually rises in wet weather, but not always.

When the Sabine River Authority began purchasing the land that lay inside the perimeter, they began a process that is unique to Toledo Bend. For instance, they purchased 11.47 acres from one large timber company. However, they then allowed the company to lease back, for a period of 99 years, the three acres along the shoreline. This provision protected the integrity of the reservoir and allowed adjacent property owners direct passage to the water.

"We leased back to the original owner the area between the two lines so they could have lake access," explained Carl Chance, Information Technician/Geographic Project Supervisor Computer Mapping for SRA. "They can't build any structures where people could live or have any sewage facilites in that area."

However, they can build boat houses, gazebos, piers, or graze cattle there. The problem stems from the last stipulation. They can also cut the timber on the leaseback area around the lake. If they are not certain of the exact lines of their leaseback, they can over cut timber into SRA land. That can become costly.

Chance also pointed to several "fingers" that reach out along Toledo Bend all around its edges.

"Sometimes these areas are dry," Chance said. When people, who own the land edging the lake, especially both sides of a projecting area, and the leaseback, decide to cut timber - which they're allowed to do - they forget that they can only cut to the pool stage line as marked by surveyors - not to water's edge. When an area has been dry for years, it's difficult for people to remember exactly where the lines run. However, when they inadvertently cut SRA timber, they become liable to repay double the value of the timber. By law, it could be triple the value.

"Over the last several years there have been a couple of instances where adjacent landowners have mistakenly harvested timber from areas not included in their leaseback," pointed out a news release.

"It's our job to protect the interests of the public in these matters," Chance said. "We have recovered damages from these timber harvesting mistakes."

The SRA asks everyone who is not certain where their leaseback begins and more important, ends, to call if they have a question.

"We will be glad to provide any information and help we can," Chance said.

Chance also said there are now more accurate methods for surveying land. Landowners who wish to disute the lines originally marked have until November 1, 2004 to hire their own surveyors and correct any mistakes they believe exist.

This policy was instituted in the 1960s in order to allow land owners to correct any errors in the original take lines drawn then and it has continued in Louisiana for 40 years. In Texas, the opportunity to resurvey was dropped after only 10 years in 1974.

Anytime before May 1, 2004, a land owner interested in determining any errors should make arrangements with a licesnsed surveyor to have their property resurveyed. That project must be completed by November 1.

"There has certainly been enough time for all errors to be corrected," said Chance. Ending this project will aid in the remapping of the lake's boundaries, which is Chance's job.

Anyone with questions should call the SRA Pendleton office at 318-256-4112 and speak with either Barton Ramsey, Carl Chance or Harold Temple.

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