St. Martinville – Several St. Martin Parish residents raised concerns over the recommended drawdown of Henderson Lake at this past week’s St. Martin Parish Council joint committee meetings.
Broc Salyers, the biologist manager of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, gave a presentation to the council’s Public Works and Administrative/ Finance committees, explaining the reasons the state department was recommending the council authorize the slow lowering of the lake’s levels by a couple of inches a week.
The drawdown, which has been attempted most years starting in 2013, is a mechanical method of fighting invasive plants. Giant salvinia and hydrilla are susceptible to the drawdowns, which expose those plants’ roots to the air, which kills the plants. Any faster drawdown of the water leads to fish kills, which LDWF wishes to avoid, Salyers said…