Fixing the Mill Pond

The Lake has a leak...

In 2002 the Spirit Lake Association funded an effort to fix the continually leaking Mill Pond. Spirit Lake is unusual in having a sealed clay bottom over highly drainable gravel, which results in rapid draining if the seal is broken.

Several series of years, where dry conditions led to the Mill Pond drying out and cracking, made it become like a sieve. A layer of woven plastic material was laid in strips after digging down several feet in the dried mud. A cofferdam blocks the water from entering the Mill Pond during construction.

The project took months of repetitive labor and fall rains didn't help matters...

In spite of several extremely dry summers since it was applied, only minor repairs have been needed to keep the lake level more satisfactory since the completion of the project.

Native pond plants were diminished by the project, but have begun a healthy recovery

The MIll Pond after repairs.