Lake Boehmer is an artificial lake in Pecos County, Texas.[1][2]
| Lake Boehmer | |
|---|---|
  Lake Boehmer  Lake Boehmer | |
| Location | Pecos County, Texas |
| Coordinates | 31°13′25″N 102°43′44″W / 31.2237°N 102.72878°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Etymology | named after former landowner Bernard Boehmer |
Area and water composition
editThe lake has been slowly growing since 2003.[2] It covers an area of more than sixty acres and the water is three times as salty as seawater.[1][2] The casing in the well is corroded and the well hit a salt layer.[2] The sulfate level is twenty-five times the legal limit for drinking water.[1]
Origins
editIn the 1940s or 1950s, oil wells were drilled near Imperial, Texas.[1] None of them produced oil, but water and the oil companies deeded them to landowners who used them to irrigate farms, but they have fallen into disuse.[3]
Name and ownership
editThe lake is named after former landowner Bernard Boehmer.[1][2] The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation have tried to contact him via a registered letter to an address in Missouri, but it is not known if it reached him or if he replied.[1] The ownership of the lake wells is unclear.[1] There is also controversy as to where responsibility lies for cleanup and remediation.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Gold, Russell (2021-12-08). "The Dead Sea of West Texas". Texas Monthly.
- ^ a b c d e Marks, Michael (2021-12-09). "A toxic lake grows unchecked in the West Texas desert". Texas Standard. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ Jim Malewitz (2019-03-26). "ABANDONED TEXAS OIL WELLS SEEN AS "TICKING TIME BOMBS" OF CONTAMINATION". Retrieved 17 Jan 2022.
Houston Chronicle: Take the money and plug|https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Take-the-money-and-plug-Texas-can-t-17709076.php