Windsor drawdown coming up
Residents around Lake Windsor will have the chance to work on their docks and sea walls during a planned drawdown of the lake this winter. Rick Echols, Lakes and Fisheries superintendent, scheduled two open meetings to tell residents about the plan.
The POA is planning to do some work, Echols said, including removing a gravel bar and stabilizing the ramp at London Landing. It will also remove gravel and silt at Pontoon Park and plant rye in areas that dry for the duration of the drawdown. The ryegrass will provide habitat for fish as the lake refills.
The water will begin to drop on Nov. 7 when two valves are opened near the floodgates. It will probably take the rest of November to lower the lake 6 inches, but the schedule will be affected by rain and groundwater.
The valves will be closed again on March first, so the lake has the chance to refill before the summer months.
During the drawdown, boat ramps will be closed. Residents can prepare by pulling their boats out or preparing them to rest on the lake bottom. Boats can be stored on trailers on the grassy area of Pontoon Park and some slips at Loch Lomond Marina are available to Windsor residents through membership services.
Some docks will be stressed by the change and could be damaged, according to information provided by Echols.
The POA and the city will work together to inspect docks on Windsor in August, Echols said. They are mostly looking for safety concerns, especially electrical issues, he said. If problems are found, the dock owners will be notified by letter.
Some permits are required for working on docks and sea walls. The city and the Architectural Control Committee both have some permit requirements and Echols can pass on their contact information. The POA requires a permit if work is done on common property or if a member uses common property to get to the lake. Some homeowners can’t move large equipment through their yards, he explained.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality requires a permit for dredging, Echols said, and if a homeowner pulls material out of the lake, he has to have a plan to dispose of it. It can’t be left on common property where it might be washed back into the water.
Last year when Loch Lomond was lowered, some residents were not able to get their projects completed because they started too late, Echols warned. There is a limited number of contractors to work on docks and, if they get busy, they might not be able to finish every project. Refilling the lake can’t be delayed for one or two homeowners, he explained.
His office maintains a list of contractors who work on docks, but he doesn’t recommend anyone. As long as a contractor is licensed, members can hire him for the work.
Echols said there may be a drawdown of another lake in the fall of 2019, but no decision will be made until April 2019. His office considers each lake and decides each spring if a lake will be lowered the following winter.