March earthquake collapses popular Stanley Lake fishing, boat launch area

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the U.S. Forest Service -

, reported the inlet at Stanley Lake which had been a boat launch, beach, and popular fishing area had collapsed.

"Initial reports noted that this former boat launch, beach, and popular fishing area was flooded with deep water and had seemingly disappeared," the post on the Sawtooth National Forest Facebook

reads.

“The most probable cause for the “disappearing” of the inlet delta is a combination of liquefaction and compaction of saturated sediments and some possible sliding and lateral spreading on the delta toward the deeper part of the lake as a result of the March 31 earthquake or the associated aftershocks,” said Claudio Berti, Director and State Geologist, Idaho Geological Survey."

The Sawtooth National Recreation Area redesigned the recreation facilities at Stanley Lake in 2019, according to the post. Old campground infrastructure was removed and a new Stanley Lake Campground was created at the east side of the lake. The inlet that collapsed had remained accessible through a trail and boardwalk for recreations and anglers.

“The loss of the inlet beach for fishing and recreation is unfortunate because that area was so popular with visitors at the lake, fortunately, the new boat ramp and campground construction were completed before this event, ensuring access for boaters and campers going forward,” said Brian Anderson, Deputy Area Ranger for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area."

According to the post, the Director Berti and his colleagues will visit the site in the coming weeks to collect data to better describe the event and geological characterization of the March 31 earthquake and aftershocks. The Facebook post is included in its entirety below.