72°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Draw down in False River next step for restoration

7 years 9 months 1 week ago Monday, June 20 2016 Jun 20, 2016 June 20, 2016 6:53 PM June 20, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Earl Phelps

POINTE COUPEE – The next step to restoring False River is a draw down and is expected to begin by Labor Day.

The river was once known for its record catches before silt from local farm lands damaged fish habitats, however the spot still manages to be a good fishing hole.

"The fishing has picked up tremendously since the last draw down," Kyle Olinde, of the police jury, said.

Last year, a 16 acre island built from silt was removed and the work took contractors 10 months to complete. More than $3 million in state money has been secured for improving the river.

In 2014, the water was reduced by three feet. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is now recommending to temporarily lower the water to six feet.

"What this would do, the draw down is expose a lot of the lake bottom, let it have time to harden. Hopefully some vegetation will and it will be great for the fishing habitat," Olinde said.

If the draw down is approved the water level would be lowered from Labor Day until the second week of January.

It would then be restored to its current level of 16 feet. The water will be lowered by the opening of gates at the out-fall channel and will take two months to be lowered to six feet.

"This is a gold mine for Pointe Coupee Parish. We want this lake in the best shape we can ultimately put as human beings," Olinde said.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days