The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has scheduled a drawdown of Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish at the request of the Claiborne Parish Watershed District (CPWD).
LDWF has requested the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to open the water control structure on September 18 for shoreline maintenance and erosion control. Once the water control structure is open, the lake should dewater at a rate of 4 to 6 inches per day until it reaches a target level of 7 feet below pool stage. The drawdown gates will be closed on January 31, 2024, to allow the lake to refill.
The Claiborne Parish Watershed District (CPWD) passed a resolution in 2010 to have scheduled drawdowns on the reservoir every 6 years for general shoreline maintenance of piers, boathouses etc. The rotation is such that it does not interfere with the regularly scheduled drawdowns of Lake D’Arbonne, which is located downstream.
Additionally, LDWF will be working with CPWD to install some artificial fish habitats in the lake during the drawdown period.
For more information regarding the management of Lake Claiborne, the Waterbody Management Plan for the lake can be viewed at the link listed below: www.wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/category/freshwater-inland-fish/inland-waterbody-management-plans
For additional information regarding the drawdown, contact Jeff Sibley, LDWF Biologist Manager, at jsibley@wlf.la.gov or 318- 371-5294.