Appendices
Resources
for cave and karst rapid response
1. Networking, obtaining
resources, training and support
Organizations (to come)
Web sites
Information about
caves and karst:
American Cave
Conservation Association
Karst Information Portal
(Much
more to come here)
2. Downloadable presentations
for rapid response
List of power points available from
KEEP Inc. (to come)
3. Sample demonstration for use
at a public hearing
(If you must shorten the demonstration, use
those parts that result in the most mess – broken plates and green water
spilled. Onlookers may profess to be “shocked,” but your message will have been
effectively and memorably delivered.)
A spokesperson for karst advocacy at a recent hearing for a
state quarry permit near Mammoth Cave
National Park, KY
presented a variety of short demonstrations. Karst Environmental Education and
Protection, Inc. (KarstEEP) opposed the issuance of this permit because the
mitigation proposed by the quarry developer to prevent contamination of the
Tier III outstanding underground waters of Mammoth Cave
National Park would be
inadequate, impractical, and ineffective. His demonstration went like this:
Presenter: “The principal proposed mitigation of
contamination by sediments and petroleum products is two constructed sediment
detention ponds whose flows are to be sampled twice per month. We will now demonstrate
why this approach will fail to prevent contamination of the underground waters.”
(Presenter unfolds a plastic painters drop cloth to protect
the floor against water that has been colored by green food coloring, and brings
out the exhibits.)
Presenter: “Exhibit A is a portion of a map showing
underground watercourses as dye traced by Quinlan, Ray, and Ewers (19Eight9).
It is the best informed guess about
where the underground conduits are located. This map shows a major subterranean stream forming
in the Sinkhole Plain and its trunk passing directly beneath the proposed
quarry property. The stream emerges at
Mill Hole and sinks after 400 feet, then emerges in Owl Cave/Cedar Sink in Mammoth Cave
National Park, and finally rises at
Turnhole Spring in Green River.
“Some or all of the proposed quarry and ponds are at risk of
collapsing into this underground river, in the same way that Dishman Lane in Bowling
Green, KY collapsed into State Trooper
Cave River. Blasting loosens subsurface rocks. The risk of probable collapse into the Tier
III underground river is too high to risk.”
Presenter: “Exhibit B
is a dinner plate. This plate
represents limestone, which is quite strong in compression. If I place the plate on the floor and lay a
plank over it, I can stand on the plank and not break it” (demonstrates). “No fear of collapse, right? Now if I take the same plate and strike it
with a hammer, it shatters” (demonstrates).
“The shock, comparable to quarry blasting, exceeds the yield strength of
the plate. The weakened and broken parts
correspond to the roof of the large underground river shown on the map to cross
under the quarry site. The point of this demonstration is that collapse
failures of this kind have happened too often in karst regions without
blasting. Many caves have breakdown on
the passage floors, which is a form of collapse. An expert witness who says that caves seldom
collapse is ignoring breakdown. With blasting, the risk of collapse into the
underground Tier III river is too
high.”
Presenter: “Exhibit C is a kitchen funnel. Sediment ponds, farm ponds, and manmade lakes
in the Sinkhole Plain karst are usually sinkholes. Engineering textbooks show such sinkholes in
cross-section as funnels that can be easily plugged with clay, rocks, or
fill. Assuming the plug remains,
regional rainfall of 55-inches per year, often coming in downpours of 2- or
3-inches in a few hours, overwhelms karst ponds and lakes and washes the
contents including bottom sediments over the spillway and over any rubber pond
liner. The front edge of the flood
carries most of the contaminants. We can
demonstrate this by plugging this funnel and pouring in a deluge of water” (demonstrates). “Notice how it overflows the pond. The point
of the demonstration is that karst ponds seldom have the capacity to contain
runoff water, which will overflow into the nearest sinkhole.”
Presenter: “Exhibit D is the same kitchen funnel. We use
toilet tissue paper to block the bottom end to simulate a sinkhole plug. We fill the funnel with water” (demonstrates). “So far, so good: the water is
contained. But when the tissue weakens
and gives way, the funnel drains out” (demonstrates). “This demonstrates that karst ponds are
ephemeral – they disappear without notice and empty their contents into the
underground river. The point of this
demonstration is that not only will the quarry store fine sediments and
petroleum spills in the ponds, but that at the loss of containment, the
contaminants will flow underground quickly.
A 4000 gallon spill of diesel fuel only 2.3 miles from this quarry site
disappeared underground before the HAZMAT crew arrived. There are NO BMPs (Best
Management Practice) for ponds in karst regions in Kentucky.
The Heartland Golf Course Lake in Bowling
Green is a recent example of sudden loss of
containment.
Presenter: “Exhibit E is a kitchen colander. Contrary to many engineering text books,
sinkholes in the Mammoth Cave Region DO NOT resemble funnels in
cross-section. They resemble a colander
with holes downward and also laterally along rock bedding. In other words, most sinkholes cannot be
plugged permanently. Every farmer
hereabouts knows this. We will
demonstrate how sinkholes drain by pouring water into this colander”
(demonstrates). “Notice how it pours out
all over everything. It might be
possible to plug a few holes in the bottom, but you can see that the contents
will drain underground. The point of
this demonstration is that no karst pond can be relied upon to hold water, let
alone retain contaminants such as sediments and petroleum products.
“A second point of this demonstration is how would you
sample the outflow twice a month? As you
can see, most of the time there will be no outflow; it will be “done-gone!” Remember, most of the contaminants are
carried on the front end of a flood. Can
anyone believe that quarry personnel will sample when it’s pouring rain
outside?”
Presenter: “Exhibit F is a large sponge. This represents the surface of the karst
land, the weathered rock fragments, the clay particles, sand, and organic
matter. We will pour some dye onto the
sponge surface” (demonstrates). “The dye represents a contaminant, such as
oil. We will then pour water on the
sponge and attempt to wash off the dye” (demonstrates). “Notice that the dye disperses throughout the
sponge. Every time we pour another batch
of water to clean the sponge, we get more contaminant out.
“Why not squeeze the sponge?” (threatens to demonstrate.) “We can’t do that with karst land. Instead, the contaminant that remains trapped
can be remobilized by subsequent downpours.
Thus, the risk of contamination is a long-range hazard, not something
that can be cleaned up. Once again, the
4000 gallon diesel fuel spill on nearby I-65 warns us that contamination of
karst can be a ticking bomb that can pollute wells and the underground river
for months and years. In Hidden River
Cave, Horse Cave, KY,
periodic floods uncover and re-suspend the toxic contaminants.
“In conclusion,
we have been criticized for demonstrating these truths in dramatic ways. If you have been offended, I apologize. But what we have demonstrated are scientific
truths and actual risks that this quarry cannot and will not be able to prevent
or avoid contamination of the Tier III waters of Mammoth Cave
National Park.
“We ask that the permit for this quarry be withdrawn.”
(Quinlan, James F. and Joseph A. Ray. 1989. Groundwater Basins in the Mammoth Cave
Region, Kentucky.
Occasional publication no. 2, Friends of the Karst, Mammoth Cave, KY.)
4. Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) template letter (link to come)
