Lake Chicot To See Summer Drawdown

Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will reduce the water level on Lake Chicot in southeast Arkansas beginning July 7.

A public meeting will be held on Feb. 13 to inform the public of plans for the drawdown. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Lake Village Fire Department. The meeting also will include the Lake Chicot Citizens Advisory Committee.

The drawdown is part of the Lake Chicot Management Plan, which recommends a drawdown every five years. The purpose of the drawdown is to mimic the natural cycle that takes place in oxbow lakes connected to rivers, according to Game & Fish district fisheries supervisor Diana Andrews.

“Oxbow lakes go through an annual cycle of high and low water levels, dependent upon seasonal rainfall. The water levels in the lakes gradually recede during the summer months, which constricts the fish into a smaller body of water,” Andrews said. “This allows the predator fish to feed heavily on the forage fish species.”

The land that is exposed during the summer months is allowed to dry out and harden. Lakes that have a constant water level develop a mushy silt layer on the bottom, Andrews said.

The young fish also utilize the flooded vegetation as places to hide after they have hatched. Lake drawdowns produce the same effect as the summer and fall lower water levels on oxbow lakes. Andrews sees the drawdown as a way to prepare the fish for the spawn.

The lake should fill back to normal pool by the spawning season.

Outdoor, Pages 7 on 01/30/2014