Missouri Sinkhole
June 9, 2004

Woe! Lake begone! 23-acre Body of water disappears in St. Louis suburb

To folks around Wildwood MO, it is nothing but freaky: an entire 23-acre lake vanished in a matter of days, as if someone pulled the plug on a bathtub. Lake Chesterfield went down a sinkhole this week, leaving homeowners in this affluent St. Louis suburb wondering if their property values disappeared along with their lakeside views. “It’s real creepy,” said Donna Ripp, who lives near what had been Lake Chesterfield. “That lake was 23 acres — no small lake. And to wake up one morning, drive by and it’s gone?” What once was an oasis for waterfowl and sailboats was nothing but a muddy, cracked pit outlined by rotting fish. By Wednesday [Jun 9], the manmade lake — normally seven to 10 feet deep in spots — had been reduced to a mucky, stinky mess.