The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), in conjunction with the Kepler Creek Recreation and Water Conservation District, has scheduled a drawdown on Kepler Lake in Bienville Parish on July 7, 2025. The drawdown will help control aquatic vegetation, provide an opportunity for shoreline property maintenance, and improve aquatic habitats within the lake.

The water level will be lowered at a rate of 4 to 6 inches per day until it reaches a target drawdown level of 7 feet below normal pool stage. The control gates will close on January 5, 2026, to allow the lake to refill for winter and early spring recreational activities.

Drawdowns are timed to take advantage of prevalent late summer, fall, and winter weather patterns. If favorable weather patterns do not occur, the effectiveness of the drawdown is reduced. For this reason, some drawdowns are very successful, while others can be less effective.

The current LDWF Kepler Lake Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan can be viewed at: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Freshwater_Inland_Fish/Aquatic-Vegetation-Control-Plans/Kepler-Lake-AVCP-2021.pdf

For additional information regarding the drawdown, contact Jeff Sibley, LDWF Biologist Manager, at jsibley@wlf.la.gov or (318) 371-5294.