New dive lake coming to Houston area?

[r3schultz]

Just got the following off Yahoo:


CLUTE, Texas - The giant sand pit where the remains of a mammoth and saber-toothed tiger were once discovered may soon be filled with much more modern artifacts.

There are plans to throw in a bus, a couple antique fire trucks and even a space shuttle lookalike that once thrilled visitors at the now defunct Astroworld amusement park in Houston.

Why the random collection?

Developers are hoping the items and many others — including an old F-5 Navy jet already in the 50-acre pit — will help create one of the nation's largest lakes reserved for scuba divers seeking to explore large objects.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/2...pnfroqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NWZtdDlpBHNlYwMyNjgz

 

[Cuda_72]

You can read more about this dive site here:http://www.chumclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1002

 

[ReefHound]

Why the random collection?

Some call it random, some call it variety. It's a huge lake, there will be themed sections. They aren't going to have a fighter plane next to a fire engine.

 

[r3schultz]

Not my question, just part of the article I cut and pasted. Sounds like a great dive once they get everything finished. My only concern is visibility. The vis around here ranges from murky to totally crapptachular, I am curious to know what methods they will be using to overcome this.

 

[MichaelBaranows]

It is going to be great. There is so much work going into the Mammoth Lake. There is going to be another big meeting at Clute City Council tommorrow night at 700. I will be there to show my support with alot of other divers.

 

[ScubaTexan]

I wish we could get something like this closer to the DFW area... :frown:

 

[ReefHound]

Not my question, just part of the article I cut and pasted. Sounds like a great dive once they get everything finished. My only concern is visibility. The vis around here ranges from murky to totally crapptachular, I am curious to know what methods they will be using to overcome this.

How do you define good visibility. I consider 15-20 foot in a lake to be pretty good, 30 foot would be fantastic.

Some of the methods are to have deeper pier entries so those giant strides don't get near bottom and stir up silt, to build berms around perimeter to reduce rain runoff into the lake, and to operate pumps to keep lake about 5' or so below natural groundwater level so you have constant fresh inflows.

But it's a sandpit with clay and faces the same environmental limitations as other area ponds and lakes. Don't expect it to be like a Florida spring or Carribean reef.

 

[jcpol]

That close to the coast any sandpit/quarry will have lots of loose sediment in the water. The southermost "hard rock" quarry I know of is the Blue Lagoon, near Huntsville. They keep the viz high by keeping the water acidic (pine needles). Does anyone know of any others in the area?

 

[Dee]

That close to the coast any sandpit/quarry will have lots of loose sediment in the water. The southermost "hard rock" quarry I know of is the Blue Lagoon, near Huntsville. They keep the viz high by keeping the water acidic (pine needles). Does anyone know of any others in the area?

I think what keeps Blue Lagoon acidic is the Limestone it's made of, not the random pine needles that fall into it.

 

[PvilleStang]

I think what keeps Blue Lagoon acidic is the Limestone it's made of, not the random pine needles that fall into it.

Actually, I've heard the same thing he's saying... The pine needles filter out the rainfall, removing the pH from the water, giving it acidic properties (or something along those lines, I'm no biochem major, but I've taken Chem 301 twice ).