Zombie lake, ghost lake? Difficult to choose the right qualifier to designate the expanse of water which has formed in recent weeks at the site of the former Lake Tulare, however long dry, in California.
“There are certain parts of the lake […]with blue waters stretching for miles and birds swaying on the shore, where it’s easy to forget that a few months ago none of this existed.”noted a Guardian correspondent in an article (Monday, July 3).
“That’s when an irrigation pipe, fence post or power line appears on the surface, reminding passers-by and authorities […] what is hidden under the water.”
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Fields of cotton, tomatoes and pistachios…
Our colleague recalls that the vast Lake Tulare, in rural Kings County, was once the largest body of fresh water west of the Mississippi, before being drained by irrigation canals. The Central Valley is today the agricultural heartland of California.
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But this year, under the effect of violent storms that swept the region after an intense drought, everything that humans had built or undertaken on these lands in recent decades disappeared under water: hundreds of hectares of cotton, tomato and pistachio fields. But also houses, roads and electrical infrastructure.
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Interviewed by the Guardian, Nate Ferrier, a sergeant in the county sheriff’s office – whose officers had responded urgently to residents and vehicles stuck by the storms – commented:
“On the lake, you wouldn’t even know where you are if you didn’t know (of the flooding). It’s water as far as the eye can see.”
Heavily polluted water
The correspondent was able to observe flora and fauna – fish, birds… – a priori typical of any local lake. A landscape that comes to admire, from a reasonable distance, those who grew up with the history of the old lake.
However, the water is deemed unsuitable for swimming and recreational activities: “underneath is farmland. There’s diesel fuel, oil, manure, chemicals used to kill insects, etc. There’s a whole bunch of stuff floating around”, warns Sergeant Ferrier. From now on, the zombie lake is therefore considered private property and it is forbidden to the public.
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Among the only humans allowed to enter (with protective equipment) are divers sent by the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). The electricity company is trying to recover its sunken equipment. The challenge is daunting: kilometers of lines, but also transformers and other devices essential to the electricity supply of the region are under water.
The zombie lake will stay like this for a year
The question that arises is that of the future of the zombie lake, whose size corresponds to that of Lake Tahoe (Californian mountain lake) but whose depth barely exceeds 1.5 meters.
“Although the lake has started to recede, authorities estimate that it will maintain its current size for at least another year. Experts warn that it could continue to expand and call on authorities to take more action, in particular to put in place a coordinated plan to fight against floods”explains our colleague.
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This is why the authorities had no choice but to adapt. The sheriff’s office recently got a hovercraft to patrol the waters. “We never needed it [mais] it’s really the only way to get around the lake because of all the debris”Sergeant Ferrier told the Guardian.
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