MAYFLOWER, Ark. — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) announced that they will be opening all operational gates at the Lake Conway Dam on Wednesday, November 15.
The open gates will allow the lake to drain faster as they prepare for the lake restoration project that was announced in June.
AGFC fisheries supervisor, Nick Feltz, explained how since September 1, the lake has seen a slow release with only using one or two open gates.
“We needed to release the water slowly this summer to prevent flooding bottomland hardwood trees in Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area downstream of the dam during the growing season,” Feltz added.
Since the first gate was opened at the beginning of September, the lake has already fallen by about three and a half feet and is expected to drop about two more even more rapidly since all of the gates will be open.
“The lowest level the lake will reach from the gates being opened is approximately 257 feet above sea level, about 6 feet below normal pool,” Feltz said. “There will still be a lot of surface water on the lake at this level, but the AGFC does not plan any additional actions to lower the water level below this point until late winter or early spring.”
To learn more about the Lake Conway renovation project, please click here.
