In 1976 a massive earthquake struck Guatemala. The lake bed was apparently fractured in such a way that water began to slowly leak from it. (The water level dropped four feet in two years, 12 feet in four years, 29 feet in 18 years.) Since the lake occupies a steep-sided crater, the immediate effect was the reduction of the regions of shallow water at the lake margins. Some docks were left far inland. The grebe refuge began to dry up, so the birds were released from it.
By 1980, the human population around the lake had increased to over twice its 1950 level. Interest in the lake as a place for non-Mayans to visit and live also increased. In Panajachel, a three-tower, 16-story condominium was built. Speedboats and skiers crowded the lake on weekends. By this time there were 350 weekend cottages and villas, compared to 28 in 1960, built on newly-cleared land along the shore. Six and a half miles of reed bed remained, representing a 57% reduction in a few years.
Despite the human population pressures, there were no controls on the quality of the environment. Villages, hotels, and homes dumped raw sewage into the lake; pesticides and chemical fertilizers were used at levels previously unknown. The native women began to use detergents instead of the traditional home-made soaps while doing laundry in the lake.
Go to Historic Update VII—"The Last Days of the Giant Grebe"
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