The Lake Caroline Owners Association posted two lake updates on October 1, 2026. One gives a start month, a channel width, a sediment volume, a federal permit and a target finish. The other says there is no anticipated timeline.
Both updates are about the water behind your house or at the end of your street, and they describe two very different situations. Phase 2 dredging on Lake Caroline is approved, permitted and scheduled. The Camden Dam spillway replacement has been studied, priced and assessed, but it is still waiting on direction from the state. If you keep a boat at Lake Caroline or fish Camden Lake, the two lakes will run on different calendars this winter.
The Main Lake Has a Schedule
The board approved Phase 2 of the association's dredging program, with work planned to start in November in the Belle Pointe and Camden Court area. According to the association's Phase 2 dredging update, the plan includes:
- A channel 40 feet wide
- About 8,100 cubic yards of built-up sediment removed to improve navigation and help maintain the lake and its fish habitat
- A five-year permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Sediment pumped to a designated deeper area of the lake and held inside a silt curtain
- Daily water clarity checks by All-Water
- Project oversight from Garver Engineering, including surveys to confirm how much material is actually removed
The association expects Phase 2 to finish by February, depending on weather and how the work progresses. Near the active area, plan on temporary limits to boat access and periods of muddy or cloudy water while the work is going on.
Doing this in winter is an old plan. A 2021 planning Q&A on the association's site proposed winter dredging to stay clear of peak lake use and fish spawning season. That same Q&A said dredging would not require lowering the lake and estimated about a 1.5-inch drop after 45 days of pumping. Those were plans from five years ago, and the October 2026 update doesn't say why Phase 2 was scheduled for November through February or how it will affect the lake level.
Owners Near the Work Have a Short Window
The update also mentions an opportunity for some lakefront owners. Eligible property owners in the project area can arrange private boat slip dredging, paid for themselves, while the contractor is working nearby. The HOA will contact those owners about eligibility, timing and how to coordinate directly with the contractor.
The appeal is mostly logistics. Bringing a dredging crew in for one slip is a separate project. Adding a slip while the crew and equipment are already in your cove is a different arrangement. The association has not published costs or eligibility rules, so the HOA office is the source for those details.
Phase I Moved More Mud Than It Was Paid For
Phase I is the best guide to what a phase of this program looks like. In April 2025, the association announced that Phase I was complete and posted Estate Management's report along with a video of the finished work.
The report is dated April 3, 2025. It records 9,859 cubic yards removed under a contract for 6,000 cubic yards. Estate Management suggested a possible cut-depth error or a vacuum effect on fine sediment as the cause of the extra volume, and said the final invoice would cover only the 6,000 cubic yards in the contract.
That gives some context for the Phase 2 numbers. Phase 2 targets about 8,100 cubic yards, roughly a third more than the Phase I contract, and Garver will survey the amount actually removed. The published materials don't say exactly where Phase I took place. A 2021 list of possible sites included Southampton, Camden Court, Hampton Bay, Belle Pointe and a cove shared by Belle Pointe and Caroline Pointe, but that list was a proposal, not a record of the work.
Camden Lake Is Waiting on a Model
Camden Lake is on the other schedule. The issue is its primary spillway, a metal standpipe with an attached outflow pipe. In September 2025, the association said replacing it was required for the dam to meet the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's rules for high-hazard dams, and that doing nothing was not an option for keeping the lake.
Here is how the project has developed over the past year, according to the association's posts:
| Date | What the association reported |
|---|---|
| Sept. 4, 2025 | Spillway replacement required to meet MDEQ high-hazard dam requirements |
| Dec. 4, 2025 | Pipe is 36 years old, against an estimated 25-year life for corrugated metal; Garver estimated construction at $2 million |
| Mar. 5, 2026 | Garver's revised estimate of $1,853,049; proposed one-time assessment of $815 per lot |
| Aug. 2026 | Assessment reminders list a Sept. 1 due date |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | After meeting with Garver and MDEQ, association awaiting MDEQ direction and approval before starting |
| Oct. 1, 2026 | Garver evaluating hydraulic models under MDEQ's updated guidance; no anticipated timeline |
The cost estimate came down from $2 million to about $1.85 million. The assessment was proposed in March and came due in September. Since then, the posts have been about engineering and regulatory review. The October 1 update says the association is still working with Garver, MDEQ and the other parties involved to find "the most effective and cost-conscious path forward." The posts don't say what MDEQ changed in its guidance.
The stakes have been stated plainly. In December 2025, the association wrote that without the replacement, MDEQ would lower and then drain Camden Lake. The March 2026 update said that if the project wasn't funded, it could be delayed, the lake could have to be lowered and costs could rise. None of the posts through October 1 report that Camden Lake has been drained or closed.
The Uncertainty Shows Up in the Fishing Plan
The cover letter for Camden Lake's 2026 fishery management plan, dated April 10, 2026, describes a "dynamic, slightly bass-crowded fishery." The plan recommends keeping the current fertilization and supplemental feeding programs in 2026 and encourages more owners to put out fish feeders to help the bluegill population.
The same letter also says, "We will resume fertilizing once the fate of Camden Lake is known." The letter's two statements about fertilization don't fully agree. Either way, the dam question is clearly affecting even routine fishery work.
The harvest recommendations for the two lakes are quite different:
| Species | Lake Caroline, 2026 plan | Camden Lake, 2026 plan |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 per day, 16 inches and under | 30 per day, 15 inches and under |
| Crappie | 30 per day | 20 per day |
| Bluegill | 30 per day | 20 per day |
| Catfish | Harvest all caught | Harvest all caught |
Camden Lake's bass limit is six times Lake Caroline's because the biologist wants small bass removed to balance the fishery. "The harvest of small bass is required to help balance the fishery. I encourage bass harvest," the Camden letter says.
The association's lakes page adds the standing rules. Fishing is allowed on both lakes within the posted daily creel limits. It is not allowed in open ski areas while ski boats are operating, in swimming areas when swimmers are present, or from bridges or dams. Residents should not add fish to either lake. Camden Lake is set aside for fishing and non-motorized boating. Electric trolling motors are allowed there, but gas motors for trolling are not. On the main lake, the boating rules revised May 15, 2026 make Caroline Cove, the "Fishing Lake" north of Bridgewater Bridge, a no-wake area with no skiing or tubing.
Where the Water Stands Going Into November
On October 1, Lake Caroline was 6.72 inches below full pool, compared with 5.60 inches below on September 25. That's a drop of a little over an inch in about a week. The association posts past readings on its lakes page. None of its current posts describe a routine winter drawdown. The one lowering in the log from this time of year was in October 2021, to install a larger culvert on Caroline Boulevard.
On land, Caroline Trails Park was listed as temporarily closed as of September 3 while the association sought information and guidance before reopening. No reopening notice has been posted since.
The October calendar continues as usual before the dredge arrives. The Hummingbird Book Club meets October 8, a vaccination clinic is October 9, and the board meets October 15. The Arts & Crafts Show and Trunk or Treat are both on October 17, followed by an Events Committee meeting on October 20. Weekly events at the Martinique clubhouse continue: Bridge Club on Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m., Canasta open play on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m., and Mahjong on Mondays from 1 to 3 p.m. plus the first, third and fourth Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
For Belle Pointe and Camden Court, the next real change on the water is the dredge arriving in November, with a target finish in February. For Camden Lake, the association said in late August that it was waiting on direction and approval from MDEQ, and as of October 1 Garver was still evaluating hydraulic models. The association has said it will post an updated timeline once it has firm information.
If you're selling a lakefront home in Belle Pointe or Camden Court this winter, or thinking about buying on Camden Lake while the spillway project is pending, it helps to know how these projects play into timing and conversations with buyers. Walt Bowie and the team at Bowie & Co. Real Estate keep up with the association's updates and are glad to talk through what they mean for your property. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
