Toxic Racing

[carl lewis]

All,

I'm not trying to hijack this thread but this is a rather disturbing video about the Village of DePue.

http://www.villageofdepue.com/


Regards, Carl

[cthirlby13]

Just think about all of the first time national champions over the years getting their first taste of beautiful lake depue or all the crashes we've had with people getting open wounds??? I remember a few years back my brother had a pretty decent cut on his leg when we went to depue and it took over 6 months for the cut to completley heal afterwards.

Pretty soon you will recognize all the national champions with a third arm and 12 fingers...

[Allen J. Lang]

I have heard from some of my old racing buddies who will NOT race at DePue in the pro catagory. To shallow to run a capsule if you should go over and the Asian carp . Something has to be done to clean up the lake.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

A few memories of the silty bottom from days past. I was told that the river was originally 20 or 30 feet deep, but the silt from the zinc smelter filled it in.

In 1970 I stepped on a seashell while being chased down the beach at Padre Island and a piece broke off in my instep. That was a week before we left for DePue. Back in those days I raced with no shoes. (It was legal then). I tied a plastic bag on my foot to keep the water out, but it didn't work and it got infected. Some of you may remember an old post about this when the battery fell over and was shocking me in the turns and spilling acid on the cut. The acid probably kept the infection from getting worse.

In 1972 I was leading my qualifying heat in C hydro. On the backside I looked back to see how far back the other boats were and I saw Billy Seebold chasing me. Suddenly my Marchetti took off. That was the only time in my racing career that I blew over, and it was high enough for a dozen blowevers. I guess I fainted and fell out of the boat because I don't remember falling. When I came to my senses I was up to my waist in silt and the water came up to my shoulders. The pickup boat guys couldn't pull me out of the mud because of the suction so one got in the water and pushed while the guy in the boat pulled. Glad I landed right side up.

In 1974 the lake was so low that an outside perimeter had to be staked out so boats wouldn't get into the shallow area. Alan Ishii has talked about throwing up mud when milling down below prior to the start.

I remember Sean McKean talking about how he had to stomp his capsule canopy open last year when he was imbedded in the mud.

DePue has a rich history, but also some real problems.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Wayne:

Based on you and your Dad's experience with EPA, Texas Environmental authorities, etc., back when you were trying to get a site for safe disposal of oil field waste, I would certainly place great emphasis on what you have to say about the safe/unsafe disposal of industrial or other type waste and how it might impact lakes, rivers, and other waterways.

That being said, right here on BRF we have a really good baseline for experience of what wading around, possibly ingesting, and other methods of exposure to the waters of Lake DePue for possibly a week or more once a year, for up to and in excess of 30 years for some of us. It would be very informative to hear what others have in the way of health problems from this type of exposure over the years.

I will start the poll by stating that I have no problems of a health nature that I would or could attribute to that type/time of exposure from 1968 thru 2004.
I have had skin cancer problems since the age of 30, but that started prior to exposure to the waters of Lake DePue and was diagnosed as overexposure to the sun when I was a young child and into my early 20's. Another possible side effect is hearing loss, but that came from many other places, in addition to Lake DePue. I am also know by some as a PITA, but that was from birth, also no connection to Lake DePue.

If any other boat racers with that type of experience/length of time exposure to the waters of Lake DePue has any problems they can attribute to it, it would be interesting to hear. We do have a good number to survey (boat racers) plus any others such as DePue residents with lengthy exposure, to draw some information from.


ADD: It was always my understanding that the fill in of Lake DePue by silt, came from the flooding and other "backwash" problems associated with the Illinois river. It very well may be that the mine tailings contributed to this problem, but I have never heard that as a reason. Perhaps that was kept quiet to not ruin the perception of Lake DePue as a boat racers "nirvana". Long story short, whatever infirmities I have at age 73, I cannot and will not attribute to exposure of the waters in Lake DePue.

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

Wayne:

Based on you and your Dad's experience with EPA, Texas Environmental authorities, etc., back when you were trying to get a site for safe disposal of oil field waste, I would certainly place great emphasis on what you have to say about the safe/unsafe disposal of industrial or other type waste and how it might impact lakes, rivers, and other waterways.

That being said, right here on BRF we have a really good baseline for experience of what wading around, possibly ingesting, and other methods of exposure to the waters of Lake DePue for possibly a week or more once a year, for up to and in excess of 30 years for some of us. It would be very informative to hear what others have in the way of health problems from this type of exposure over the years.

I will start the poll by stating that I have no problems of a health nature that I would or could attribute to that type/time of exposure from 1968 thru 2004.
I have had skin cancer problems since the age of 30, but that started prior to exposure to the waters of Lake DePue and was diagnosed as overexposure to the sun when I was a young child and into my early 20's. Another possible side effect is hearing loss, but that came from many other places, in addition to Lake DePue. I am also know by some as a PITA, but that was from birth, also no connection to Lake DePue.

If any other boat racers with that type of experience/length of time exposure to the waters of Lake DePue has any problems they can attribute to it, it would be interesting to hear. We do have a good number to survey (boat racers) plus any others such as DePue residents with lengthy exposure, to draw some information from.


ADD: It was always my understanding that the fill in of Lake DePue by silt, came from the flooding and other "backwash" problems associated with the Illinois river. It very well may be that the mine tailings contributed to this problem, but I have never heard that as a reason. Perhaps that was kept quiet to not ruin the perception of Lake DePue as a boat racers "nirvana". Long story short, whatever infirmities I have at age 73, I cannot and will not attribute to exposure of the waters in Lake DePue.

Like Bill, I always heard it was from the back wash of the Illinois River. I raced on the Seine in Paris. Now this was a serious water issue. I believe that it was my 1st year there that 2 Mercury drivers got cut & were exposed to the raw sewage water of the Seine, one was Don Clark who cut a leg really bad, got infected. The other was the affable Don Preuitt. He also got cut, can't remember the details, & also got an infection.