Vernon Lake Dam; Public Notice; Vernon Parish; H.013332
Thursday, February 07, 2019 at 10:25:32 AM
Vernon Lake
Public Notice 2-7-2019
S.P. H.013332

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces an update on the Vernon Lake Dam and planned repairs to damages sustained during the Hurricane Harvey event. The dam remains stable at this time.

DOTD has awarded a contract to Merrick LLC to repair the damages that the Vernon Lake Dam sustained. On February 1, 2019 a preconstruction conference was held with the contractor. The Notice to Proceed has been issued for March 6, 2019, followed by a 30 calendar day assembly period.

As a result of heavy rainfall over the last two months, the lake water surface has risen to within 5 feet of pool stage (all the while the management gate has been fully open). In order to safely complete all of the work, the lake water surface will need to be lowered to 20 feet below pool stage (elevation 225 feet), at a minimum. The amount of time to lower the lake water surface to this elevation will be completely dependent upon the amount of rainfall that occurs over the lake watershed.

The contractor will be working to complete the repairs to the dam during the assembly period by gathering materials necessary to complete the work. At the end of the assembly period the contractor will begin work that can be safely performed, even in the event the lake water surface would be above elevation 225 feet.

The timeframe to complete the necessary repairs to the dam will be highly dependent upon the weather conditions over the next few months and will likely extend into early summer of 2019. Upon completion of the construction activities the management gate will be closed and the lake allowed to refill to pool stage. Additional updates will be provided as the time line moves forward.

Anacoco Lake, which is located downstream of Vernon Lake, is near pool stage. The intent for Anacoco Lake is to keep the management gate closed and the lake near pool stage throughout this process.

Questions regarding this notice may be directed to Mr. Randall Duffey at 337-238-6406, Mr. Brad Sticker at 318-561-5280 or Mr. Jonathan Lachney at 318-561-5103.