He Dug His Own Water Ski Lake

He Dug His Own Water Ski Lake AG WORLD 34-2-23 Avid water skier Kevin Fraker was tired of competing with fishermen for open water on the lake where he lived. So he decided to dig his own lake near Pompeii, Mich. The 16 1/2-acre lake is 2,150 ft. long and 300 ft. wide with doglegs at each end for turnouts. To meet professional ski lake regulations, the lake drops 1 ft. to every 10 ft. to dissipate boat wakes, has a boat landing and dock, and 42 ski course buoys. As the third generation owner of Fraker Trenching, Inc., Fraker had equipment and was able to do much of his own work with the help of his crew. The 40 acres he started with also had a marketable product - about 2/3's of the lake was sand, and the rest was clay. "All clay would have been best for creating a lake," Fraker notes. "But I couldn't sell clay, so at least I had a product I could sell." The sandy soil made the project more expensive and time consuming, however. Working with engineers and meeting environmental regulations required more excavation to build the foundation for the perimeter wall that was 10 to 15 ft. wide and 8 to 25 ft. deep. It had to be dewatered for two months with tile, well point pipe and four 8-in. vacuums. After it dried, a foot of clay was packed over the entire surface. The pressure was on in 2008 to get the dirt moved and the rest of the lake packed with a foot-deep clay liner before the fall rains hit. "Engineers thought the walls would be sufficient," Fraker says, "but I wanted the clay bottom as an insurance policy. What are you going to do if it isn't sealed enough?" By spring 2009, it was evident that the work paid off. Between 3 and 4 ft. of water held steady from fall rains and winter snow. With the help of friends Fraker drove buoy anchors he made out of galvanized pipe and rebar about 2 ft. into the lake bottom, using GPS to accurately place them. Fraker installed an 8-in. well to maintain the water level. Snow and spring rains will help bring it up to full level, and the well compensate for summer evaporation. Though not filled to its full depth (6 to 10 ft. deep), it was ready to use by July 15. "It's everything I expected," Fraker says. "It's very rewarding, and people say how beautiful it is." Altogether, about 325,000 yards of dirt were removed to create the lake. Fraker replaced the topsoil around the lake, seeded it and planted 200 Blue Spruce trees. He's working on a website and setting up a membership structure for Lake Charles Water Sports, LLC. Eventually he hopes to hold tournaments at his lake. Creating a water ski lake is not cheap, Fraker says. Costs can range from $300,000 to $500,000. Despite some of the challenges of the 2 1/2-year project, including high fuel prices, he's glad he did it. Now he enjoys it as often as he can, waterskiing when he has free time before and after work. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kevin Fraker, Lake Charles Water Sports LLC, 9949 Lakeside Dr., Perrinton, Mich. 48871 (ph 989 620-0931; kevinfraker3@yahoo.com).

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