Sandbaggers to the Rescue

If you have been following the lake as it continues to recede you may have wondered, "is there anything we can do to stop the water loss?"

In an attempt to answer this question, The Mountain Lake Board has commissioned some divers to try to fix a major part of the suspected problem. The divers have recently found 18 holes in the lake's bottom. One hole is approximately the size of a pickup truck bed.

Obviously, with the combination of other major factors conspiring against us there is only so much we can do. The other cracks, seismic faults and sandstone geology also contribute to the lake's constant water loss. The droughts we have suffered since 1999 are the biggest issue and have affected lakes all over the southeast.

It is hoped that by attempting to plug the hole with sandbags we can at least decrease the rate output enough for normal rainfall to be able to turn things around. So the Conservancy's Recreation staff spent most of the afternoon yesterday preparing sandbags for the divers and placing them on the shoreline.

Check out the pictures...