Epecuén was a little lakeside resort until 1985. Lago Epecuén is the saltiest of a string of lakes in the southwest of the province of Buenos Aires. As such, it was popular with visitors for its alleged properties curing all kind of ailments, from rheumatism to psoriasis.
The little town had 1500 inhabitants, and could host about 5000 visitors.
In 1985, and because of bad water management, a protective levee let go, and the town flooded with extremely salty water that reached ten meters and didn’t recede until 2009. Today, it is possible to walk around what’s left of the town, which was evacuated overnight when the flood happened.
In Argentina, bad decisions and poor management are a force of nature. A different country would probably have a network of navigable channels crisscrossing the flood-prone province of Buenos Aires. This country has its own version of Herculaneum instead.
steph
Very interesting and great photos