ST. MARTIN PARISH — As the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries prepares for its annual drawdown of Henderson Lake, some residents and business owners are already bracing for the changes ahead. Hal Courville, owner of Gator Swamp Tours, says while the effort has environmental benefits, it also comes with practical challenges for those who make their living on the water.
“When they do the drawdown, you have nothing but mud all the way to about 50 yards out—nothing but mud,” Courville said. “So it would be nice, you know—the drawdown is good, but we can’t use the launch because it needs to be dug out.”
Henderson Lake, part of the broader Atchafalaya Basin Floodway system, is scheduled for a water level drop intended to help manage, aggressive, fast-spreading invasive plants such as the giant salvinia which has clogged local waterways for decades.
According to biologists with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, salvinia reduces oxygen levels in the water, harms fish populations, and restricts access for boaters and anglers.The Department uses a combination of herbicide spraying, biological controls like salvinia-eating weevils, and drawdowns to manage the plant.
Courville, who has operated his tour company in the basin for nine years, took KATC out on the lake to demonstrate what typically happens as the water recedes. He pointed out tree stumps currently submerged just below the surface.
“Right now you don’t see many stumps,” he said. “In the next few weeks, this’ll all be full of stumps.”The drawdown period typically forces local boaters and fishermen to make adjustments to their routines.
“It hurts when the water’s real low, you can’t pass some places that you normally pass so you have to change your routes,” Courville said.
Despite the temporary inconveniences, he believes the drawdown is necessary for long-term health of the lake.
“I think it's a good thing because the grass gets real bad, you’re not gonna catch any fish, you’re not—you have trouble with your outboard motors,” he explained. “It’s very hard to get around with all the grass, and it’s taking the oxygen out the water.”
While Courville says he supports the initiative, he also hopes to see improvements to infrastructure like the boat launch, which becomes unusable during the low-water period.
Other fishermen in the area expressed mixed feelings—some describing the short-term drop in fishing activity as frustrating, while others said the long-term benefits outweigh the seasonal setbacks.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will present more information about the Henderson Lake drawdown during the upcoming St. Martin Parish Council meeting on Tuesday. Officials are expected to outline the plan’s timeline and explain how the effort fits into broader management of the Atchafalaya Basin.
