American experience: how to turn a freshwater lake into a salt lake in one day

In the state of Louisiana, near the town of New Iberia, the salt lake Penyer is located. It is interesting in that until 1980 the pond was fresh and shallow, and as a result of an incredible disaster, in just a few hours the lake turned into a salt one with a maximum depth of almost 400 meters.

An oil and gas company conducted exploration work on Lake Pener. At the same time, for some reason, the fact that in the immediate vicinity of the lake there was a functioning salt mine was not taken into account. In one of the mine passages at a depth of 400 meters, a vault broke and an opening formed through which water from the lake began to flow.

Further events developed with such catastrophic speed that one can only be surprised and, of course, rejoice at the fact that not a single person died as a result of this.

Under the weight of lake water, the hole rapidly increased, and on the surface of the lake an area of 5 sq. Km. a whirlpool formed with a diameter of 55 meters. In addition to the culprit of what happened, the drilling rig, several barges and production facilities, as well as an island with a botanical garden, houses and cars sucked into the funnel that arose. In just three hours, most of the water that filled it left the lake. More than 50 people who worked at that time in the salt mine were evacuated, and employees of the oil and gas company also managed to leave the sunken objects.

This would end the misfortunes of Lake Penère, if not for one circumstance. The lake was connected to the Gulf of Mexico via the Delcambre Canal. And as soon as the level of the lake began to fall, the principle of communicating vessels worked: the salty sea water from the bay began to fill the empty basin of the lake through the channel. At the same time, a waterfall formed on the border of the channel and the basin of the lake. Above the surface of the pond, a geyser about 100 meters high was also observed, which was the result of air leaving the salt mine.

Everything that happened to the lake forever changed its ecosystem. Now it is inhabited exclusively by marine organisms, animals and plants that can live in salt water, and there is no trace of the previous inhabitants. And although the water surface looks as serene as it did 37 years ago, the depth of the reservoir is already about 400 meters, and not 3 meters with a small meter, as it was before.