Midland TX dive business owner missing at Lake O.H.Ivie

[DandyDon]

From UPDATE: Midland Man Believed to Have Drowned at Lake O.H. Ivie - KWES NewsWest 9 / Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, TX: newswest9.com |

A Midland man is believed to have drowned at the Lake O.H. Ivie Reservoir.
Family members tell NewsWest 9, the man who may have drowned is 77-year-old Richard Stovall. Stovall owns Stovall's Scuba and Travel, which he operates out of his home. Family members also said that Stovall had over 40 years of diving experience.
According to Deputies, the man was working on getting soil samples around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. After an hour, workers that were with the man called 911 when he didn't resurface.
Deputies, EMS, a dive team comprised of San Angelo PD and Coke County Deputies as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife all responded.
Around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, diver operations were suspended and a specialized dive team was called in to search the lower structure of the pump station near where the man went down.
Low visibility and safety prevented the dive team from continuing their search.
It is believed he may have gone down a 350 foot eight foot wide pipe.
A special dive team from Houston is on scene and is preparing to look for Stovall.

 

[dgreenh]

I was on-site all day for the recovery that didn't happen. Global from Houston was doing the search today. They searched the structure and to the end of the pump intake pipe. After that it gets a little dicey with baffels and other pipes so they recalled their divers. They are bringing in a ROV tomorrow to search that area and will send a diver in to recover if the ROV locates him. He was in an enclosed environment so he has to be in there somewhere.

 

[DandyDon]

I was on-site all day for the recovery that didn't happen. Global from Houston was doing the search today. They searched the structure and to the end of the pump intake pipe. After that it gets a little dicey with baffels and other pipes so they recalled their divers. They are bringing in a ROV tomorrow to search that area and will send a diver in to recover if the ROV locates him. He was in an enclosed environment so he has to be in there somewhere.

Sounds pretty stressful to be onsite all day. Thanks for letting us know the current situation. Can you tell us about the structure...?

 

[dgreenh]

Stovall was my Open Water - Divemaster instructor and a very close friend. I was first call for the recovery but I don't have overhead /confined training and none of the team that I could put together did either. They allowed us to search the main structure but said not to go into the corridor.

The main structure is about 16'x16' inside. At the current lake level there is about 35' of water inside. At the bottom there is a 9'x9' x 300' corridor going to the manifold for the pumps. I don't know much detail after the end of the corridor but from what I understand the manifold area is pretty big. I think there are 5 or 6 40" pipes that actually run from the manifold to the pumps.

Here is a picture of the outside of the structure. The crane is holding up the gate where they are entering.

 

[dgreenh]

They located the victim with the ROV in the manifold room/area. The body will be transported to Lubbock for autopsy. I will try to find out what they come up with as the cause of death and the status of his equipment

 

[ScubaSteve]

They located the victim with the ROV in the manifold room/area. The body will be transported to Lubbock for autopsy. I will try to find out what they come up with as the cause of death and the status of his equipment

To get to that area, would it have had to have been deliberate (searching the "cave" so to speak) on his part or is there any flow that could have pulled him?

 

[paulw]

Very sad but I'm glad he was recovered. First my condolences to the family, second my hat is off to every member of the dive teams involved !