Entergy Arkansas Inc. will lower lakes Hamilton and Catherine 3 feet this year as part of the annual drawdown, which will begin on Nov. 1, according to an email the utility sent out recently.
The depth of the drawdown varies each winter, in part, to curb the growth of nuisance vegetation. A vegetation management plan developed in conjunction with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission usually calls for alternating 3-foot and 5-foot drawdowns.
The email notes that vegetation management is one benefit of the drawdowns. The annual lowering of the lakes is also valuable for shoreline facility owners to inspect their structures and methods of shoreline stabilization for the potential needed repair.
Entergy will start lowering both lakes on Nov. 1 by about 6 inches per day until the drawdown level has been reached.
Results from the annual vegetation survey conducted by the Fisheries Department of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Entergy on Lake Hamilton and an initial one on Lake Catherine this year indicates that a 3-foot drawdown would assist in vegetation control on the lakes, according to the email.
Entergy has used varying drawdowns on Lake Hamilton since 1996 as its primary tool to control the spread of certain underwater plants that interfere with recreation.
The email notes that "most seasoned residents and perhaps some new owners along the shorelines" are familiar with the rotation of 3-foot and 5-foot annual drawdowns on the lakes. The drawdowns expose the lakebeds during the winter months to freezing temperatures, stunting regrowth the following spring and summer.
Brett Hobbs, AGFC Fisheries District 8 supervisor, said in the email that "there was likely a decrease in sunlight penetration during the late summer season this year that slowed the growth of submersed aquatic plant coverage in the shallows." The lakes are multiuse and have to be managed to be a balance between pleasure boaters and fishermen, and "it is nice to see some submersed plant coverage in the lakes, including a recent increase on Lake Catherine. It will afford both nursery cover and a food supply for sport fish," increasing the overall fisheries habitat and making the lakes more productive of an environment, he said.
Permits must be obtained from the Entergy Shoreline Management Department prior to beginning work on any shoreline activities or facilities and those permits are required to be submitted by Nov. 30 each year.
Visit http://www.entergy.com/shorelineapplication for more information.
Local on 09/15/2019