Sinkhole suspected in disappearing lake

[L Roebuck]

Sinkhole suspected in disappearing lake

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - Scott Lake is sinking

Residents say the private lake dropped several feet this week. Late Wednesday, it receded at least 20-feet from the shoreline, destroying docks and gazebos and breaking apart one home. The South Florida Water Management District believes a sinkhole opened up at the south end of the lake.

The ground behind Glenda Fontaine's house dropped a foot Tuesday. Part of her dining room sheared off and her swimming pool split and drained.

"It was a beautiful place, but it's gone," she said. "I've been here 25 years and never seen anything like it."

Jay Jarvis, drainage manager with the Polk County Natural Resources Division, said nothing can be done about the sinkhole.

"My understanding is, if it's a natural phenomena, it's not the county's responsibility," Jarvis said.


Full Article: www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/14827452.htm

[L Roebuck]

Here's a link to the CNN US Video about the "Disappearing lake"

www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1657346694

[Brian Roebuck]

That's gotta hurt! Mother nature can be brutal at times! I hope he had sinkhole insurance!

[L Roebuck]

Scott Lake In Sinkhole Hotbed

Engineer identifies six others within a 2-mile radius of the shrinking lake.

By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger


LAKELAND -- The two apparent sinkholes in Scott Lake are not peculiar to the area near the exclusive, gated community now watching its private lake disappear.

Research by D.S. Saxena, a Lakeland forensic geotechnical engineer, has identified six sinkholes that have occurred over the years within a two-mile radius of Scott Lake.

That's six of the more than 150 sinkholes documented in the county over several decades.

Drawing what are called "possible lineament" lines -- a geological version of connecting the dots between sinkholes -Saxena has determined two lines that intersect in or near the lake showing spots that are ripe for sinkholes.

Lineament lines show the potential for developing sinkholes. One of the points happens to be in the north section of the lake and the other toward the southeast section, which are very close to the present sinkholes off Pier Place Drive.

"You go back and put two and two together," said Saxena, who is the chief consultant with ASC geosciences as well as a fellow and member of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers.

Scott Lake also differs from many lakes in Polk that have banks that gently roll up from the water.

"Scott Lake is sort of in a bowl," Saxena said. "There's more than a 20-foot elevation difference."

The house that has sustained the most damage so far belongs to Glenda Fontaine and Steve Beebe. The back of their waterfront place is perched close to the water and now appears to be slipping toward the lake.

The county is keeping an eye on the home, but so far it has not been condemned.

Saxena, though, has a couple of key concerns regarding Scott Lake.

"There's a possible deep-seated problem in the water body that may have extended to the bank," Saxena said. "And the second is the stabilizing of the steep bank."

Full Article:
lledit.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060617/NEWS/606170386/0/FRONTPAGE

[L Roebuck]

Experts: Activity of Scott Lake Sinkholes Is Difficult to Predict
By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger

LAKELAND -- Scott Lake, most likely formed by sinkholes thousands of years ago, is now at the mercy of a giant sinkhole that could be 300 feet deep.

What will happen next to the exclusive, private lake is now a waiting game for hydrologists, engineers, homeowners and curious onlookers.

"It's hard to say what it's going to do at this point," said Bill Lewelling, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, who visited Scott Lake on Friday.

Whether rain would help or hurt the 285-acre lake, which virtually emptied in 10 days, is also another open question.

"It could open it up, or it could plug it up," said Lewelling.

"Right now, it's very unstable because it just formed," said Patty Metz, another hydrologist from the USGS, who was checking out the lake Friday.

What experts do know is that this is not the first time a lake has had a sinkhole.

Alachua Lake, near Gainesville, once allowed steamers to haul fruit from Micanopy to Gainesville. But it drained 8 feet in 10 days in the 1800s -- leaving thousands of rotting fish, according to a Florida parks Web site.

The lake never returned. It is now known as Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. It's home to wild horses, sandhill cranes and bison.

Scott Lake also could mimic Lake Jackson in Tallahassee.

Full Story and Scott Lake Sinkholes Picture:
www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060624/NEWS/606240373/1039

[L Roebuck]

Engineers Map Scott Lake Woes
One sinkhole is thought to be between 150 and 300 feet deep.
By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger

LAKELAND -- While plans for restoring Scott Lake are still in the works, BCI Engineers & Scientists has generated a graphic that gives a layman's view of what's at play in the 285-acre lake.

Using an aerial photo and site observations, four sinkholes have been identified in the lake. Three old sinkholes also have been drawn onto the graphic featuring the southeast side of Scott Lake.

Some of the sinkholes' work is dramatic enough to be seen by the naked eye from shore. The home owned by Steve Beebe and Glenda Fontaine, for example, suffered severe structural damage and cracks.

" You can walk out there today and see cracks in the ground surface, where the uphill side is about 18 inches higher than the downhill side," Ted Smith, a geologist with BCI, said Thursday.

Smith said the "mechanism" behind what happened to the Fontaine property is similar to landslides in California, where there's a slope failure.

As for the sinkholes, the deepest one is thought to have sucked more than 90 percent of the water from the lake as it drained up to 1 billion gallons last month, according to Rick Powers, president and CEO of BCI.

Full Article and Graphic:
lledit.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060715/NEWS/607150387/0/FRONTPAGE