KENNETT -- Missouri Department of Conservation engineers say they are optimistic that they have found a way to seal leaks in Jerry P. Combs Lake. The repair plan will remove sand deposits from the lake bottom, then use clay excavated from the lake and other sites on Little River Conservation Area to resurface the lake bed.

The opening of the 150-acre, above-ground lake just east of Kennett has been delayed for slightly more than a year due to leaks caused by sand veins in the underlying soil. Those sand fissures functioned like conduits, transporting water from the lake to the water table beneath it. Design and Development Division Administrator Bill Lueckenhoff says the sand veins were discovered when the Conservation Department attempted to fill the lake.

"The Department began filling the lake at the project dedication in August 1996," says Lueckenhoff. "By early 1997, it was discovered that the lake was not filling at the anticipated rate, and monitoring of the lake was initiated. It was determined that the lake was losing water at the rate of about one inch per day or 2,500 gallons per minute."

Investigation continued until July, when the cause of the problem was discovered in an exploration pit at the site. Diagonal sand veins dissecting the 8-foot thick layer of clay in the bottom of the lake extended from the deep sand layer beneath the lake to a level just below the ground surface.

Lueckenhoff said the sand veins and deposits likely resulted from the earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. The earthquakes probably caused separations and cracks in the ground surface, forcing underlying saturated sand to the surface. Most of the sand at the site appears to have been covered by several inches of fine sediment deposited after the quakes.

"The Missouri Department of Conservation hired a highly qualified consulting engineering firm with expertise in lake design to perform the surveying, soils investigation and design of the lake," Lueckenhoff says. "In performing their work, the consulting firm failed to detect the problem which subsequently caused the lake to leak. The department plans to repair the lake and attempt to recover the cost of the repair from the consulting firm."

The cost of the lake repair is estimated at approximately $1.1 million, depending on the size of sand deposits in the lake. "The extent of the sand deposits within the lake will have a direct effect on the cost of the repair and will not be known until encountered in the work," says Lueckenhoff. "If we encounter extensive sand layers which would cause the cost of the repair to exceed this estimate, the Department will reevaluate the situation."

The repair project for Jerry P. Combs Lake will begin in May 1999. With favorable weather conditions it should be completed within six months.

In the meantime, Little River CA still provides many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Access to the 1,036-acre area had been restricted to foot traffic since April due to vandalism and littering. But the Conservation Department recently reopened the area, and conservation agents will increase patrols to prevent further problems.

The Sept. 1 reopening enabled dove hunters to be the first to pursue wildlife on the area. Little River CA's approximately 350 acres of wetlands attract a wide variety of other migratory birds, making it a great place for birdwatching and for photographing wildlife.

Little River CA will be open to all statewide hunting seasons except duck season. Geese may only be harvested on the area after the close of duck season. Only shotguns and steel shot may be used on the area. For details on regulations at Little River CA, contact the area manager or local conservation agent.