EL DORADO ? The U.S Army Corps of Engineers has recently started releasing water from El Dorado Reservoir to control zebra mussels along the shoreline.

The drawdown began Dec. 12 and will bring the lake down to approximately 3.5 feet to expose zebra mussels along the shoreline to drying and freezing temperatures. Corps officials anticipate the lake will be held at that level for about a month and then allowed to refill.

“Both the Corps and our agency hope the slow release and timing will be less detrimental on fisheries and more effective in controlling zebra mussels,” state aquatic biologist Tom Mosher said. “The combination of freezing and drying will be more effective in killing zebra mussels than drying alone.”

Mosher noted the procedure is experimental.

While the lake is down, Wildlife and Parks personnel will survey the shoreline to evaluate the extent of the zebra mussel invasion.