Where’s the water?

I love that classic fast-food commercial where the little old lady asks, “Where’s the Beef?”   As I look out over the lake, I am starting to ask the same type question:  Where’s the water?

I know the answer, though.

The 2012 lake drawdown began the day after Labor Day when two gates of the spillway were opened. The water in D’Abonne Lake is falling fairly rapidly. The water below the spillway into Bayou D’Arbonne  is rising fairly rapidly. The drawdown is supposed to end in early January.

Lake D’Arbonne is drawn down about five feet below normal pool stage every five years. First, the drawdown helps control the burgeoning growth of unwanted noxious aquatic vegetation.  Hey, that just means they are killing that darned moss that’s taking over the shallow water and fouling your outboard motor!  Second, the lower lake levels also allow access to the lake bottom around the banks so that repairs and additions can be made to seawalls, boat docks, decks and the like for property owners.

Drawdowns at D’Arbonne are fairly unpredictable. If we get lots of rain during the drawdown period, the lake obviously won’t go down as far as planned. Take today for instance. It’s a rainy day on the lake and maybe a good day to clean out the fishing closet.  Of course, things can go the other way.  In the past, there have been problems with closing spillway gates in a timely manner which has taken the drawdown much further than five feet. It’s going to be an interesting few months.

You can keep up with lake levels on Lake D’Arbonne and other lakes & rivers in our area by going to the link to the right. Click on the “Area lake and river water levels” link, then click your favorite lake and get the current level and trend.