Member-only story
How a 14" Hole Accidentally Created The Deepest Lake In Louisiana
And turned it from a freshwater delight into a saltwater hole
On the morning of Thursday, November 20, 1980, miners working within the Diamond Crystal Salt Company located near Lake Peigneur in Southern Louisiana were alarmed to find water rising around them. The salt mine, which had been in operation for over sixty years, was not supposed to get wet. Salt does not interact with water in a way conducive to mining. The entire mine was being held up by Biblical pillars of salt. Water would quickly melt these supports and cause the mine to collapse. As the men made for the exits, they had no idea of the horror that was taking place above their heads.
At the same time that the men from the Diamond Crystal Salt Company were evacuating their mine, a different group of men were evacuating a drilling platform located on the lake above. These men had been drilling for oil, which is often found near salt domes. The same salt dome that was being mined for salt was also being probed for oil. Their drill bit got caught, and when they freed it, the platform lurched with a loud pop, and the men quickly made their way to shore.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the drill had pierced the upper layers of the salt mine located below Lake Peigneur. The hole was only fourteen inches wide, the width of the drill, but that was enough to throw the entire lake into chaos.
After sixty years of mining, the salt mine was a vast catacomb of tunnels, pockets, and caves. That system was now rapidly filling with water. The lake was draining into the mine like a bathtub whose drain had been pulled.
Before this unfortunate incident, Lake Peigneur was a benign freshwater lake with an idyllic island located in the middle. The lake had a depth of just ten feet, which made it perfect for recreational purposes. That was all about to change.
Thousands of gallons of water were now pouring through the hole into the salt mine. The hole rapidly grew, and more water poured into the caverns below. The salt pillars holding the mine up…
