Entergy Arkansas Inc. will begin to raise lakes Hamilton and Catherine back to normal summertime levels on Saturday, marking the end of the annual wintertime drawdown.
The lakes, which were drawn down 5 feet in November 2015, are expected to be completely refilled by March 13.
Blakely Mountain Dam will release about 3,600 cubic feet of water per second from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning Saturday, and Carpenter Dam will release about 3,200 cfs from 1-10 p.m.
Both lakes will rise about 6 to 7 inches a day until March 13, when the refill will be completed.
Ted Smethers, senior technical support specialist for Entergy, said the refill will bring Lake Catherine to about 304.25 feet above mean sea level, and it will be held between 304 feet msl and 304.5 feet msl until about mid-May to accommodate the spring fish spawn.
He said the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will conduct its annual walleye egg harvest below Carpenter and Blakely dams from March 12-20, and Entergy will maintain the lake levels to assist with the harvest.
Smethers said Lake Hamilton will be returned to its normal summertime level of 399.7 feet msl, with fluctuations between 398.9 and 399.9 feet msl.
He said the success of the drawdown in ridding the lake of some of the invasive aquatic vegetation won't be known until summertime, but adds "it's been successful in the past, so there is no reason to suspect that it wasn't helpful this year."
He also said the utility had been inundated this year with requests for permits from property owners around the lake to accomplish various projects.
"I don't know the numbers, but I think they were up from previous years. Our people worked very hard to process as many as they could and I think all of them that met the deadline were processed," he said.
Smethers said Entergy and AGFC personnel would check the lakes in August and review the aquatic vegetation that is present, discuss other issues that might impact the lakes, and make a decision then as to what type drawdown might be needed later in the year.
"We have personnel that goes out with the game and fish guys and they have places they go to every year so they can gauge the changes from year to year, so that is the plan to do that in August," he said.
Local on 03/04/2016