BOOTHEEL LAKE IS EXPECTED TO HOLD WATER THIS TIME, PROVIDING FISHING FOR AREA RESIDENTS

It has been a long time coming, but Jerry P. Combs Lake near Kennett finally opened Saturday.

Some might find it fitting that the lake opened on April Fools' Day, but let's hope the irony doesn't make any difference. The Department of Conservation, after all, has had enough problems with the lake already.

The state spent six years and nearly $5 million in its effort to provide fishing opportunities to Bootheel residents. The man-made lake fully enclosed by an earthen levee, was supposed to open last summer, but it wouldn't hold water. Studies had failed to show that the ground was full of cracks. The state paid more than $1 million to install a clay liner on the bottom of the lake to keep water, which has to be pumped into the lake because it has no natural drainage, from leaking underground. It appears to be working.

The state carried out a hurried stocking of catfish so anglers would at least have a few fish to catch when the lake opened. Later this year red-ear sunfish, crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill will be added.

With sandy, unstable soil and high water tables, few man-made lakes of any size can be found in the Bootheel. Residents of Dunklin County can feel fortunate to have such a facility, because after the problems with Combs Lake there may not be another anytime soon.