Teens help inspect shoreline for ‘sinkers’

SPIRIT LAKE – Under bright skies and in July heat, five young volunteers traipsed halfway around Spirit Lake’s old Mill Pond last week in search of rogue leaks.

While most of the leaks that eventually drained the 52-acre pond were sealed by a synthetic liner in 2002, a few new leaks have sprung up by the water’s edge, said Rod Erickson, who with his wife runs the 100-year-old Fireside Lodge near the pond.

Hoping to get a fix on the issue, the youngsters, all from the Spirit Lake area, volunteered to inspect the area and drive red-taped spikes to indicate potential “sinkers,” or new holes.

The kids belong to Youth Equipped for Success, a nonprofit group that introduces kids to real-world activities and experiences.

On this excursion, the youths got a taste of environmental sciences and restoration techniques.

Despite soggy shoes, overgrown lawns and at least one cranky neighbor, the kids covered most of the shoreline accessible on foot. Some people have built fences down to the water’s edge, making it nearly impossible to walk the shoreline there.

Still, the kids found and marked five or so suspicious-looking spots.

“We now know the leaks along the shoreline are causing the lake’s level to go down,” said Doug Freeland, a professional scuba diver who lives along the pond and owns Aquatic Consulting and Engineering.

Erickson said he’ll follow up on the kids’ work and survey the far side of the pond by boat, the best way to cover that area.

After that, he and Freeland probably will try to patch the holes with palletized clay, Erickson said.

Erickson says he believes that because the liner was installed only over the pond, it’s like a bathtub that leaks part-way up.

“This is not nature’s way,” he said. “This is a man-made lake. This is a man-made problem that needs to be fixed by man.”

Said Freeland: “It’s like a wound that needed 50 stitches and they only put in 48.”

Authorities recommended the liner, believing it would help re-establish riparian habitat on the pond’s edges, Erickson said.

During the repairs, the Idaho Department of Lands will be kept informed. The agency regulates activities related to the body of water.

“We’ll just piecemeal it and just do it,” said Erickson.