The John K. Kelly – Grand Bayou Reservoir Commission has requested a third in a series of up to five consecutive drawdowns to help control hydrilla in the 2,500-acre lake.
The drawdown is scheduled to begin on Sept. 2, 2008, with the lake being lowered 4 to 6 inches per day until it reaches the target level of 7 feet below normal pool stage. This level will be maintained until Jan. 31, 2009, at which time the gates will be closed and the lake allowed to refill.
Hydrilla was covering approximately 30 percent of the lake and was found as deep as 10 feet when the series of drawdowns began in 2006. Hydrilla was hindering boating access and recreational opportunities in many areas of the lake.
The first two drawdowns accounted for a significant reduction in the hydrilla coverage on the lake, but a third drawdown is necessary to further reduce the underground tubers from which the plant sprouts.
Hydrilla was first found in Grand Bayou in 1999 and has steadily expanded its coverage until the series of drawdowns was initiated, despite herbicide treatments when the plant was first documented in the reservoir.
Personnel from the Inland Fisheries Division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will monitor the hydrilla in the reservoir during the drawdown and herbicide applications may be made if warranted.