LDWF to drawdown Grand Bayou Reservoir
COUSHATTA, La. -- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in cooperation with the John K. Kelly Grand Bayou Reservoir District, has scheduled a drawdown of Grand Bayou Reservoir for fisheries habitat improvement and giant salvinia control.
COUSHATTA, La. -- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in cooperation with the John K. Kelly Grand Bayou Reservoir District, has scheduled a drawdown of Grand Bayou Reservoir for fisheries habitat improvement and giant salvinia control.
The drawdown is designed to improve fisheries habitat along the water’s edge by reducing organic build-up on the lake bed, reduce nuisance aquatic vegetation, and allow for physical repairs to structures on the lake.
The water control structure is scheduled to open on Sept. 8 and the lake should dewater at a rate of 4-10 inches per day. The water level will be lowered to a maximum drawdown level of 4 feet below normal pool stage to a target level of 134.5 feet above mean sea level.
The Grand Bayou Reservoir control gates are scheduled for closure on Jan. 4 to allow the lake to refill for early-spring recreational activities.
During the drawdown, an estimated 2,100 acres of water will remain in open areas of Grand Bayou Reservoir. Boaters may still access the reservoir from Grand Bayou Resort, located on the southwest side of the state Highway 784 Bridge.
Caution is also advised when on the water as numerous obstructions that are normally not seen are present. Vessels will likely have to idle several hundred yards from the Grand Bayou Resort ramp before accessing deeper water.