New dive lake coming to Houston area?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

From: July / August 1987 Texas Diver Magazine on the Blue Lagoon:"The secret of the lagoon’s clear water is its low pH. Filtering down through the pine needles covering the surrounding land lowers the pH too low to support the growth of algae. Unfortunately, it is also too low to support fish, but the trade off for clear water is worth it."

It is the Pine needles and it is also the Limestone (with copper sulfate - I think) that adds not only the lower pH but the Blue color to the water.
 
Limestone is highly alkaline, not acidic, and in fact is used commercially to raise pH and neutralize acidic solutions.

If acidic water from pine needles is what makes Blue Lagoon lifeless and clear, Lake Livingston and other such lakes should be a swimming pool.
 
ParamedicDiver1:
It is the Pine needles and it is also the Limestone (with copper sulfate - I think) that adds not only the lower pH but the Blue color to the water.
Click to expand...


OK - here's the geological nerd in me coming out. (I am a geologist - by the way)

According to the Houston Geological Society the rock in the the area is actually a sandstone deposited in an ancient coastal plain (rivers and deltas) sometime between 23 - 33 millions years ago. The closest major limestones of Texas are found in the Hill Country. Copper sulfate (or some copper compund), I believe, is added to ponds to give the vivid blue color, but does not occur naturally in limestone and is rare in nature in sedimentary rocks.

I think the blue color of the Blue lagoon is a function of water clarity and reflection of the beautiful Texas blue skies.

It is amazing to find the tiny little fish that do exist - any idea of what they are called?
We saw a large snapping turtle 4 weeks ago. Not to mention the beautiful algal or bacterial scum covering every hard surface. If you look hard enough the Blue lagoon is not totally lifeless.
 
The little shrimplike things in Blue Lagoon are, I believe, called Dragonfly Nymphs. Went there a couple of weeks ago and vis was around 12-15ft. Went to Twin Lakes last year and vis was 5-8ft. If Mammoth could get somewhere in the middle it should be a great dive. I know there are several types of water plants, (liliy pads etc.) that will filter the water and increase clarity, but the enormouse size of Mammoth seems to make this approach expensive and time consuming.

I was certed in a gravel quarry in Eagle Lake. The vis was approaching negative numbers and was probably the only dive where I needed a white cane. Any vis at Mammoth approaching 8-12 ft and I would be thrilled.
 
ReefHound:
Limestone is highly alkaline, not acidic, and in fact is used commercially to raise pH and neutralize acidic solutions.

If acidic water from pine needles is what makes Blue Lagoon lifeless and clear, Lake Livingston and other such lakes should be a swimming pool.
Click to expand...

You're right, my mistake. I was thinking of the alkaline from the limestone. I use limestone in my aquarium for the African Cichlids who need high alkaline water. In fact those small tan fish in the Lagoons are a species of African Cichlids that students from A&M put in there as an experiment several years ago. As you can tell they are thriving very well.

A can't dispute geological surveys, but the managers of Blue Lagoon were the one's who told me the site was dug from limestone deposits. I've never heard the thing about the pine needles but I know I've never seen enough of them in either lagoon to make a big enough difference if they do have anything to do with the clarity.
 
Wow, you people are actually stimulating my mind on this thread... STOP IT, summer's in session, and its time to stop all intellectual stimulations, other than maybe Deep Sea Detectives.
 
Dee,

Trust me it's sandstone.

BAck to the acid: The pine forest around the quarry is the source of the acid.The acid comes from rain percolating through the multitude of pine needles outside the quarry. The water picks up the acid runs into the quarry. You also get water that percolates into the ground and then, in time, flows into the quarry. I believe the acid keeps the algal blooms in control.
 
I don't know if anyone else caught it but Ch. 11 KHOU did a story on this a couple of days ago on the evening broadcast.
 
Yes, there was suppose to be something about it on the ch. 11 news last Sunday night but I don't know anyone that saw it. It was suppose to also be run on the news in Longview. Plus there was an article in the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, other Texas Newspapers.

Last night the Clute City council gave final approval to use the lake as a Scuba park. So not it can offically be build.

So I guess the really hard work begins. In less than two weeks that are suppose to begin on the foundation for the new shop.
 
You failed miserably right???Twice.Just kidding.I know it likes to eat your expensive stainless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom