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Louisiana Water Moccasin
Jeff killed this Louisiana water moccasin today with a pellet gun. The snake was sunbathing on his back stairs that leads down to his dock. Nice shot Jeff, right through his head!
Record Low Water Level on Cross Lake in Shreveport – Dredging Needed
The current water level on Cross Lake in Shreveport is close to a historic low. The current water level is 169.70 feet above sea level, which is almost 3 feet lower than the average. Cross Lake serves as the City of Shreveport water supply. This has been one of the driest summer’s in years for Texas and Louisiana.
Besides the rain being an issue, there has also been nothing done by the City of Shreveport to push an initiative for the dredging of Cross Lake in Shreveport. The depth of the lake has decreased by almost five feet since 1980 and a dredging project is desperately needed by the city of Shreveport. If the issue is not addressed in the next several years then the future cost of the dredging project will be more than the city could possibly afford. The city leadership needs to step it up, push forward and propose a budget to dredge the lake before the silt builds up beyond what the man made lake can bare.
Cross Lake Shreveport pictures by Britney Smith Photography
CrossLakeShreveport.com would like to thank Britney Smith Photography for taking these pictures.
Cross Lake Water Level October 2010
The water level on Cross Lake as of October 2010 is the lowest its been since 2001 when it was at 168.05. The current water level is 168.96.
The annual average precipitation in Shreveport is 52.38 Inches. So far in 2010 Shreveport has only had 22.07 inches of rain.
Water Moccasin Kill on Cross Lake in Shreveport, LA
Water Moccasin on Cross Lake in Shreveport
The picture here is a water moccasin I killed a few weeks ago on Cross Lake in Shreveport, LA. I see them several times a week swimming close to the shore. The balcony on my back porch provides a great elevated position to spot them and kill them. I’ve been using a Gamo Whisper pellet gun 1200 feet per second. I’ve been able to take out 10-12 snakes over the past several months, but this is the only one I’ve been able to pull out of the water after the kill. This particular water moccasin was not ready to die after I shot him, he was still alive when I pulled him out of the water with my rake, so I finished him off by taking a machete to his head.
Post Update – it turns out this is not a water moccasin, it is a banded water snake. The moral of the story is that if you see a snake swimming by your dock, you should not try to shoot it with a pellet gun, until you can confirm if the snake is a water moccasin or a banded water snake. As the snake is swimming by extremely fast, make sure and check to see if it has a fat head and a blunt tail. Banded water snakes are definitely something that you DO not want to kill because they eat so many rodents and are extremely friendly. In fact they make great pets.
Super Hot and Seaweed Growing in Cross Lake
Its been very hot in Shreveport, LA the past month. The high’s are in the 100′s and with the heat index the highs have been up to 115. The water in Cross Lake is not providing a nice refreshing feeling like it did a few months ago, its like jumping into a hot tub. I’ve taken my boat down to the far west end of the lake several times over the last couple of weeks and when I get close to the shore on the west side, I’ve been getting seaweed stuck in my prop (big pain to pull out). It looks like the late night alligator spotlighting is done for a little while until the weeds go away.
Boat traffic has definitely slowed on the weekdays and also on the weekend. I just wish I could keep the birds from pooping on my boat while its parked in the boat stall. Please feel free to provide recommendations.
Cross Lake Water Level Very Low
According to data I found on the USGS website, the water level in Cross Lake in Shreveport is only at 170.22, which is the lowest the water level has been in years. The water level is typically at 173. Where is all the water going? Are the gas companies using the water from Cross Lake to pump into their wells?
With the water level getting so low gives us even more need to have the lake dredged. Are there any plans in the near term to complete the proposed $80 Million project?
Cross Lake at Shreveport, LA Water Data From USGS
This is good data from USGS that updates frequently on Cross Lakes water level USGS 07344480 Cross Lake at Shreveport, LA.
