From Soap Lake Conservancy Facebook post January 6, 2025

The minerals in Soap Lake are part of what makes it an Outstanding Resource Water.

The very low water level in the lake is a huge issue currently. However, the Minerals keep the water from degrading to an unhealthy state and can’t be separated from the issue of lake level. Adding water to the lake without monitoring the mineral content would lead to the lake’s further demise. It is an ecosystem that has been created on a geologic timescale.

Below is a short and lighted edited history of the lake and its minerals from Soap Lake resident and Soap Lake Conservancy member, Bonnie Holt. We value her vast knowledge about the lake and the history. This is from her research on Soap Lake and from her lifetime of experience living here. (The opinions expressed are hers and not the Conservancy's.)
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Smokiam - later called Soap Lake, is well known for its saline healing waters. The mineral content of the lake has been intentionally depleted since the arrival of white settlers in the Columbia Basin. The first recorded building on the lake's shore and floodplain was constructed in 1905. A 1922 map shows the lake’s elevation near the Thorson Mineral Plant. Daily, the town of Soap Lake, along with Thorson's Hotel and Soap Lake Products Company, private spas, and sanitariums, extracted thousands of gallons of the mineral-rich water.

A 1936 analysis of the lake’s water, one of the earliest recorded tests, is documented on our website, https://www.thelake.org/ . These tests, conducted over time, reveal a consistent reduction in the lake's mineral content. The Bennett Studies on saline lakes, also available on TheLake.org, provide a detailed description of the lake and its mineral composition during the 1920s.

Link to Minerals studies on website Mineral Studies https://www.thelake.org/uniquelake/minerals — Soap Lake ConservancySoap Lake Conservancy's mission is the restoration and preservation of Soap Lake, a natural mineral lake. We are dedicated to actively improving the vitality of the Soap Lake area through education and promotion of the therapeutic recreational, and cultural qualities of Soap Lake.

As time passed, as many as 50 hotels, motels, auto courts, and tourist facilities offered mineral water in every room. The city had a reservoir for storing mineral water, which was pumped to a holding tank and then gravity-fed to businesses and sanitariums. After the original sanitariums burned down, the McKay Hospital was built in 1936 by the state, equipped to provide daily soaks for every patient. A 1942 map from the fire department shows that the lake’s elevation had receded to 1076 feet, well below the former East Main (then known as Lake Avenue). Despite the loss of the sanitariums, residents were relieved that the basements of City Lake Avenue no longer flooded.

By 1950, the city began developing the west side of the lake. Engineers, doctors, and government officials purchased lakeshore properties and built homes above the 1076-foot elevation. They and the city agreed that 1078 feet would be the lake’s high-water mark, though historical documents showed the lake’s elevation had once exceeded 1083 feet. A graph from 1955 shows a significant depletion of the lake’s mineral content since the 1936 test.

During the 1950s, when water started flowing into the canal, the aquifers began to rise after a drought, as documented by the Bureau of Reclamation. Dr. Tommy Edmondson, a renowned limnologist, was hired to study the lake’s balance over the next 50 years. His work records the Bureau of Reclamation era and the lake’s ongoing depletion. The misconception that the Bureau's canal water caused the lake's rise in the 1950s led to a belief that the water level must be maintained at 1076 feet to protect homes along the west shore. This misunderstanding persists today.

Throughout the 1950s, large-scale water extraction from the lake continued. The Thorson’s building was used to pump water for mineral salts production, and the town reached its peak in mineral water usage for tourism, healthcare, and local residents. The Thorson's Salt Plant ceased operations in the 1980s, and by 2020, the city began abandoning the rusted pipes that delivered water throughout the town. Another significant pumping of lake water occurred in 1998 when the lake began to rise again due to an elevating aquifer. A contract for the sale of mineral water was granted to the Soap Lake Spa and Resort, which continues to extract water from the lake.

In 1999, the Soap Lake Conservancy initiated a scientific study of the lake, with the first seminar on the geology and the lake held at Soap Lake DH Elementary School in 2002. Unfortunately, the $200 attendance fee limited participation, but the event was covered by newspapers. The study continued until 2005, and a second seminar was held at Masquers Theatre. Despite another $200 fee, few attended, including myself. The Soap Lake Conservancy conducted additional mineral count studies from 2018 to 2024, continuing the work started by Dr. Leo Bodensteiner and others during the Saline Lakes Study.

Our recent efforts led to the designation of Soap Lake as an Outstanding Resource Water, finalized in December 2023, granting it state and federal protection against further human interference. A comprehensive and accurate graph of the lake’s mineral reduction is available on linked spreadsheet below. It scientifically documents the depletion despite the Bureau’s efforts to pump underground water to prevent it from entering the lake. The city’s direct pumping from the lake ended in 2022 and permission was given to Soap Lake Natural Spa & Resort to continue pumping the lake mineral water for use by guests there.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JHVef9h_mEeU03_8GvQ7XVWaSH3mm72dQeHMF9Up6Hw/edit

From the 1989 Soap Lake Tourist Guide, Compliments of Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce

The Pros and Cons of Soap Lake Water

Loren H. Schrag, N.D. D.C.

"Why does Soap Lake water heal?' The reasons are really quite simple. The minerals in the water make it very alkaline. Bacteria and virus must live within their own range of acid-base environment to survive. If the environment becomes too severe, they will die.

Bacteriocides all work to change the environment, such as alkalinity, acidity, hot, and cold. Most bacteriocides have the drawback of also harming their host, in this case, the person it is acting on. Soap Lake water is perfect, because it, in most cases, does not harm the host. It also sets up an abnormal environment that kills many bacteria and viruses.

No tissue can heal without mineralization. One can examine any scar tissue under the microscope, and find that there are massive amounts of minerals left after the healing takes place.

Soap Lake water is exceptional, as it has approximately 20 minerals or mineral salts in it. All are alkaline, or alkaline salts of the minerals.

Soap Lake water definitely opens up capillary or surface and extremity circulation. Over the years this has been proven in cases of Buerger’s* and Raynaud** diseases, which are extremity circulation problems.

To keep the alkalinity and minerals in the afflicted area long enough for results to be obtained, some people use the mud from the lake bottom, some use ointments, and some the water. This will vary with the individual needs and the time element. The ointment is used, when the healing agent is needed for a long period of time, i.e. Athletes

Foot or Jungle Rot. The water, being on the skin for only a very short period of time would not be of much use in these cases.

Many dermatologies (skin diseases) can be helped and alleviated with Soap Lake water. I do not believe, that psoriasis is one that can be cured by the water alone. But used in conjunction with heavy ultra-violet rays of the sun, that we have in abundance in Soap Lake, it alleviates the symptoms of psoriasis. There is nothing bacterial or circulatory about psoriasis. Therefore, it is mostly sunlight that helps with this particular problem. People lying out in the sun must be very careful not to overdo it, as they will abuse their skin by burning, and therefore do more harm than good!

Over-use of Soap Lake water will cause the skin to dry out and may cause rashes. Use oil or lotion to re-build the natural oil in your skin.

For stomach or intestinal ulcers, (colitis), the water is ingested in small amounts 4 to 6 times daily. *** Do not overdo it, as the water is also a strong laxative. If a person has had some medical problems such as edema, kidney problems, or high blood pressure, the water, taken internally, could cause the condition to worsen because of its high salt content. People who drink Soap Lake water excessively may develop edema (swelling).

I have seen the water used as an irrigation for certain types of female problems and as an irrigation for the sinuses with a very high success rate.

Soap Lake water is a wonderful liquid, and it's healing properties can benefit mankind greatly. It is not a cure-all. It should be used with common sense and in certain cases, with the advice of a medical doctor who knows something about Soap Lake water, its contents, and its healing properties.

*Buerger's disease is a rare disease of the arteries and veins in the arms and legs. In Buerger's disease — also called thromboangiitis obliterans — your blood vessels become inflamed, swell, and can become blocked with blood clots (thrombi). Suffered by many WWI veterans.

**What is Raynaud disease? Raynaud disease is a disorder that affects blood circulation, usually in the hands and feet. The arteries (blood vessels) that carry blood to your fingers, toes, ears, or nose tighten. This is often triggered by cold or emotional stress.

*Soap Lake Conservancy does not recommend drinking or irrigating with the water.

AND in the same publication ~

The "MIRACLE WATERS"

Testimonials...

'When I arrived in Soap Lake, I had much discoloration in both legs and an ulcer on one toe. This condition is the result of many years of Buergers Disease. At the end of my month stay, the discoloration in my legs had cleared up considerably, the ulcer on my toe had healed.

I highly recommend Soap Lake treatment to anyone suffering from Buergers Disease."

- J.L. Canup, 3860 Cardinal Dr.,Tucker, GA 30084

I came to Soap Lake on Sept. 5, 1982, hoping to find help for my psoriasis. We stayed there for one month. During that time, I went in the lake every day at least once and many times twice. We had Soap Lake water piped into the cottage I stayed, and I bathed in it each night. Within a week, I could see a change taking place. My legs were bleeding sores when I arrived.

When I left Soap Lake a month later, I had only a couple of little spots left on my legs. I had not had any itching from the time I started to go in the water. This was really wonderful for I had itched for so long. After being away from Soap Lake for a month, a few spots, rather small, have come back but with Soap Lake ointment and salts, I seem to be keeping it under control."

- Peg Drowns, Rt. 121 Box 453, Raymond, Maine 04071

Before arriving in Soap Lake, I had been suffering from arthritis in my shoulders and arms. Each day I spent two or three hours bathing in the lake water, and every third day I took the mud application to my shoulders and arms. After spending nine days there, I am most happy to report that the results were excellent. The pains have gone and I feel like a new person."

- George Sosnow, 1201 Date St., Las Vegas, Nev. 89108

'I have been suffering with psoriasis and arthritis for years. I had been to many doctors for the treatment of psoriasis. I received many injections and used all different creams and lotions. None of which helped. I was covered with many scaly patches which is the nature of the disease. I must admit I was very doubtful that anything would help. Yet still, we made the trip cross-country to Soap Lake. We stayed for 10 days.

Every day I would bathe in the lake. I rubbed the mud all over me and then laid in the sun and let the mud dry on me. I was delighted and surprised to find that by the end of my stay, my psoriasis was greatly improved. The scaly patches on my knees, back, and arms were healed. It has not returned

Since. My arthritis was also greatly relieved. I haven't felt this good in years."

- Michael Domski, 88-14 89 St., Woodhaven, N.Y. 11421

All the above letters are on file, and available for inspection, at the Soap Lake Chamber Office.