Vernon Lake is a

man-made lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

in Vernon

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. In 1963, Vernon Lake was created by the impounding of Anacoco Creek (Anacoco Bayou), creating a lake for the purpose of water supply and recreation. The lake is west of Leesville, and north of Anacoco Lake.

History

The Louisiana Legislature passed La. Act 277 of 1948 creating the Anacoco-Prairie State Game and Fish Preserve, setting aside of land, money for the purchase of wild game and fish, and for restocking purposes, as well as for the building and maintenance of a dam. A second dam was authorized but no money provided. Construction was completed in 1951.

Lake authority

Act 858 of the 1981 Legislature abolished the Anacoco Prairie Game and Fish Commission and transferred authority to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The law provided for a panel of citizens to be appointed to an advisory board. The Vernon Parish Police Jury established the Vernon Parish Game and Fish Commission composed of nine members that including two members of the jury.

Ownership and maintenance

The

State of Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25th i ...

owns the land under the lake and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (LDWF) manages the fish and wildlife resources. The dam is one of twenty under the authority of the

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a Federated state, state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain mana ...

for maintenance over the levees, dam, and associated structures. The Vernon Parish Police Jury created the Vernon Parish Game and Fish Commission and appoints an eleven-member advisory panel.

Infrastructure

The earthen dam is approximately in length with a crown mean sea level (MSL). The embankment is constructed of a homogeneous earth fill with stone rip-rap shore protection with a maximum height of approximately 43 feet.

Dam issues

Vernon Lake was lowered after Tropical Storm Harvey went through the area, causing damage to the dam. Repairs could take a year and a lower lake level will be maintained until then.

Dam repairs

The dam operates with a double gate system. One gate was damaged, as well as the overflow slides on both sides. Work was initiated in 2017. The timeline for completion was estimated by the DOTD to be early summer of 2019. Finding parts was hard. In 2019 a contract was awarded and material staging began. Construction was finally completed November 29, 2023.

Mercury advisory

In 1997 a fish consumption advisory was issued for Vernon Lake by the

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

. On May 23, 2003, a fish consumption advisory was issued, and an advisory was also issued in 2009 The cause is attributed to high levels of Mercury, or

methylmercury Methylmercury is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is a bioaccumulative environment ...

, that can lead to

Mercury poisoning Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashe ...

. Elevated levels of mercury that exceeds 0.5 parts per million (ppm) have shown to be more dangerous to developing fetuses, infants, and children but prolonged

bio-accumulation Bioaccumulation is the gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a substance faster than it can be lost or eliminated by catabolism and excretion. Th ...

, over an average of 1.0 ppm, can cause nerve and kidney damage to anyone. Unacceptable levels of Mercury were reported in Large-mouth bass,

Flathead catfish The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus ''Py ...

Redear sunfish The redear sunfish (''Lepomis microlophus''), also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, and sun perch, is a freshwater fish in the family Centrarchidae and is native to the southeastern United States ...

, and

Bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...

(

Bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...

) sunfish.Department of Health and Hospitals (2003)
/ref>

References

{{authority control Reservoirs in Louisiana Ramsar sites in the United States Bodies of water of Vernon Parish, Louisiana Wetlands and bayous of Louisiana