Meadow growing where the lake was drained in 2004.
The lake was drained and dried out in the late 1960's, reflooded, and restocked with fish. During the 1970's, fishing was tremendous. In the late 1970's, an analysis was made of the fish found in the ditch along the north boundary of the refuge. Waters in this ditch provided fresh water for the lake. The fish were found to contain levels of DDT and toxaphene at levels higher than recommended for human consumption. Refuge officials were told either to keep the fish out of the lake or close the lake to fishing. Thus waters from the ditch, which was the major source of fresh water other than rainfall, were no longer allowed into the lake. With the large numbers of waterfowl wintering on the lake, cypress needles, etc. falling in the water, the nutrient levels began to raise and the fisheries resource declined. DDT and toxaphene once used as insecticides on cottonfields in the delta are no longer used but persist in the soil and are carried in the sediments from waters running off croplands.
Current management plan for the lake is toward rehabilitation. We are currently in Phase I which calls for draining the lake to remove predator fish (gar and bowfin) and drying the lake bed up as much as possible. This would allow some compaction of the muck bottom and thus allow us to hold more water in this shallow lake. We can not hold elevations higher than 209 ft. Mean Sea Level during the summer without harming the bottomland hardwood timber surrounding the lake which means only about 5 feet of water in the middle of the lake. Firming the bottom would also allow for better spawning areas for fish. In June we borrowed an amphibious excavator from Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee and cleaned out the outlet channel to allow draining. We plan to keep the lake dry through the fall of 2005 during which we hope the bottom will be firm enough to get machines onto the lake bottom to push out additional holes and place pea gravel for fish spawning beds. We will try to refill the lake during the winter of 2005-6 by rainfall, pumping, and if available allowing water from Big Creek to the north into the lake on a one time basis. Fingerling fish will then be restocked into the lake and the lake closed to fishing for 1-2 years depending on fish growth.
Phase II of the rehabilitation project calls for re-establishing a freshwater source for the lake to periodically flush out the nutrient laden waters. We are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to search for a feasible source. Glen Miller
