vampgirl Posted June 12, 2004 #1 Share Posted June 12, 2004 WILDWOOD, Mo. (AP) - To folks around Wildwood, it's downright freaky: an entire 9.3-hectare lake vanished in a matter of days, as if someone had pulled the plug on a bathtub. Lake Chesterfield went down a sinkhole this week, leaving homeowners in this affluent St. Louis suburb wondering if their property values disappeared along with their lakeside views. "It's real creepy," said Donna Ripp, who lives near what had been Lake Chesterfield. "That lake was 23 acres - no small lake. And to wake up one morning, drive by and it's gone?" What once was an oasis for waterfowl and sailboats was nothing but a muddy, crackled pit outlined by rotting fish. The sight had 74-year-old George English scratching his head. "It's disheartening, getting out on your deck and seeing this," he said as he stood next to wife, Betty, and the lakeside condominium they bought in 1996 for its view. "One day it's a beautiful lake and now, bingo, it's gone." Some residents said they noticed that the lake, after being swelled by torrential rains weeks earlier, began falling last weekend. The Englishes said they noticed the drop-off Monday. By Wednesday, the manmade lake - which was up to three metres deep in spots - had been reduced to a mucky, stinking mess. David Taylor, a geologist who inspected the lakebed Wednesday, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a sinkhole was formed when water eroded the limestone deep underground and created pockets in the rock. The sinkhole was "like a ticking time bomb." The lake and surrounding housing development date to the late 1980s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypaddedroom Posted June 12, 2004 #2 Share Posted June 12, 2004 Oh I heard about that when I ws listening to the radio program Coast to Coast AM last night.Great Stories Click there that truely is something to wake up one morning to realize that huge lake is gone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellar Posted June 13, 2004 #3 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Oh I heard about that when I ws listening to the radio program Coast to Coast AM last night.Great Stories Click there that truely is something to wake up one morning to realize that huge lake is gone! Especially when you just baught a waterfront house the day before which you were expecting to go up in value... *Opens his eyes* Huh? *rubbs eyes* Huh? Damn real estate agents with their damn hologram technology! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC09 Posted June 13, 2004 #4 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Wow, that's weird. Oh, and just a quick note, vampgirl. When you post a news story can you please provide a link to the orignal story? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypaddedroom Posted June 13, 2004 #5 Share Posted June 13, 2004 Oh yeah that would be a pretty bad start to start off your day. I know I would not be in a good mood for that day or month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnSide Posted June 13, 2004 #6 Share Posted June 13, 2004 interesting! and yes as kellalor said, please provide the source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlyte Posted June 14, 2004 #7 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I'm pretty sure I've found the link to the above posted article from the Chicago Sun Times: CLICK HERE I lived in St. Louis for 2 years, and on my last visit there we went to this lake. I cannot believe that it is no longer there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypaddedroom Posted June 14, 2004 #8 Share Posted June 14, 2004 To bad that link don't show any pictures! It has a lot of information, but no pics. Does anyone know of a site were I can see pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverCougar Posted June 15, 2004 #9 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Wow, that's weird. Oh, and just a quick note, vampgirl. When you post a news story can you please provide a link to the orignal story? *hasn't asked for that little in the past ooohhh noooo* *rubs forehead* Ugh Cynicalcougar *shoves that back into the box* Lesson number one when making a lake. Make sure the ground under it won't turn into a sink hole and drain all the water! >.< OI! That's too rich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle Battlefront Posted June 15, 2004 #10 Share Posted June 15, 2004 there was a lake of about the same size. we had a drought and it dried up quickly but not that quickly. maybe it was slowly getting dryer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doomgirl Posted June 15, 2004 #11 Share Posted June 15, 2004 I'm pretty sure their property values have gone the same way as the lake, down the sink hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypaddedroom Posted June 17, 2004 #12 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Well I still would not mind living there it still would be pretty cool to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnSide Posted June 17, 2004 #13 Share Posted June 17, 2004 yeah man, that would be SO cool. screw the lake, gimme a lakebed to run around on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozmeister Posted June 18, 2004 #14 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Well now they'll have an added attraction to the lake......just fill the lake up with water till it also fills the sinkhole and the level of water returns to where it was originally. Then they'll have a sinkhole that people can dive into......cave diving!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypaddedroom Posted June 18, 2004 #15 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Or they can give free tacos! I know I'd go mmmm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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