Dye trace and bacteriological testing of sinkholes: Sulphur Springs,Tampa, Florida

This paper summarizes over four years of studies and testing of a sinkhole/spring system in north Tampa. Sulphur Springs Pool delivers an average of 95 million l/d to the Hillsborough River, which is tributary to Tampa Bay. In 1986, owing to increasingly erratic bacterial levels at the natural bathing area adjacent to Sulphur Springs, the Hillsborough County Health Department closed the pool for swimming. The City of Tampa, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, and the United States Geological Survey have gathered data in an attempt to better understand the system and possible sources of contamination. The Sulphur Springs Action League is a civic group in the area, which has an objective of reopening the pool for recreational purposes. Environmental Engineering Consultants, Inc. provided pro bono technical assistance and expertise in assisting the Action League with its goal. The Action League obtained a grant from SWFWMD to outfit underwater divers for sinkhole exploration as well as water quality and dye trace analysis. The main suspects for bacterial contamination of the pool were two significant sinkholes located 1950 and 2300 m north of the spring. A series of dye tests and water-quality tests were performed. It was estimated that the underground velocity of water was between 90–100 m/h. Using a dye trace, bacteria testing, and travel time estimating, a new source of contamination was found in a Department of Transportation (DOT) stormwater retention basin in which a sinkhole had opened up and was receiving stormwater. The two significant sinkholes received stormwater from commercial and residential areas, and this stormwater brings a large amount of bacteria into the sinkhole, which funnels into the underground system and induces a bacteria spike at Sulphur Springs pool that exceeds the bathing water standards. The City of Tampa has constructed an experimental initial flush capture basin that will sand-filter stormwater to see if this will favorably affect bacteria levels. A mayor's task force in Tampa has recommended ultraviolet disinfection as an interim solution to the contamination problem.     

Case study of compaction grouting for foundation support in karst terrain: Earth and Marine Sciences Building,University of California at Santa Cruz

Sinkholes were discovered during initial construction of a new science building at the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. The occurrence of such classic karst features in California is typically uncommon, although sinkholes have frequently been encountered at the campus during previous construction projects. Subsequent to the sinkhole collapse, geologic and engineering investigations were conducted to determine the size and extent of the collapsed sinkholes and assess the potential for further failure. An exploratory compaction grouting program was developed and implemented in order to locate, fill, and plug voids and to densify loose soils beneath the structure. Eighty-one injection locations were drilled, totaling 1350 m (4429 ft), and 248.2 m³ (324.4 yd³) of low-slump grout was placed. Grout volumes and pressures were carefully monitored, and these data correlated well with lithology determined during grout pipe drilling. Permitted movement on the structure was kept well within the allowable 0.64 cm (0.25 in) using a combination of manometers and laser levels.     

Identification of sinkhole development mechanism based on a combined geophysical study in Nahal Hever South area (Dead Sea coast of Israel)

Seismic refraction, magnetic resonance sounding (MRS), and the transient electromagnetic (TEM) method were applied to investigate the geological and hydrogeological conditions in the Nahal Hever South sinkhole development area at the Dead Sea (DS) coast of Israel. Microgravity and MRS results reliably reveal large karst cavity in the central part of investigated area. The map of the seismic velocity shows that sinkholes in Nahal Hever can be divided into two major groups: sinkholes close to the salt edge and sinkholes over compact salt formations between a few tens to a hundred meters from the major cavern. The present study shows that the formation of sinkholes of the first group is caused by soil collapsing into the cavern. In the area occupied by sinkholes of the second group, karst was not detected either by MRS or by seismic diffraction methods. TEM results reveal shallow clay layer saturated with DS brine underlain sinkholes of this group. It allows suggestion that the water drainage and intensive water circulation during rain events wash out fine rock particles from the unsaturated zone into the pre-existing cavern, initiating the formation of sinkholes of the second group. Karst development takes place at a very low bulk resistivity (<1 Ω m) of the DS aquifer, attesting to the fact that pores are filled with a highly saline solution. Refilling of the karstic cavities with collapsing and flushed soil slows down sinkhole development in the area. The sinkhole formation cycle at the site is estimated at 10 years. Sinkhole development throughout the studied area is triggered by a drop in the level of the DS, which reduces the head of the confined aquifer and the strength of the overlain sediments.

Ground subsidence and its socio-economic implications on the population: a case study of the Nakuru area in Central Rift Valley, Kenya

 Several areas of Nakuru Town and its environs often undergo subsidence along the parallel fault zones during and after heavy rainfall. During the rainy season, when most of the subsidence occurs, the overlying unconsolidated volcanoclastic sediments become oversaturated with water. The water reduces the shear strength of the sediments and also introduces extra loading through saturation leading to subterranean erosion along faults. The unconsolidated sediments then collapse into the subsurface water channels which closely follow the fault zones, leading to formation of “sinkholes”. The frequent incidences of ground subsidence in the study area, have caused several fatalities, destroyed settlements and physical infrastructure. Furthermore persistent subsidence has increased the cost of construction and the repair of the destroyed properties. Apart from being hazardous, ground subsidence degrades environment when sewage water, refuse and garbage enter into the groundwater systems through the sinkholes. The fissures formed after subsidence also stand prominently as ugly features from the rest of the terrain. Mitigation measures including control, channelizing of drainage, proper engineering practices and appropriate land use are suggested in this paper. Received: 1 December 1998 · Accepted: 8 March 1999     

Subsidence hazards due to evaporite dissolution in the United States

Evaporites, including gypsum (or anhydrite) and salt, are the most soluble of common rocks; they are dissolved readily to form the same type of karst features that typically are found in limestones and dolomites, and their dissolution can locally result in major subsidence structures. The four basic requirements for evaporite dissolution to occur are: (1) a deposit of gypsum or salt; (2) water, unsaturated with CaSO₄ or NaCl; (3) an outlet for escape of dissolving water; and (4) energy to cause water to flow through the system. Evaporites are present in 32 of the 48 contiguous states of the United States, and they underlie about 35–40% of the land area. Karst is known at least locally (and sometimes quite extensively) in almost all areas underlain by evaporites, and some of these karst features involve significant subsidence. The most widespread and pronounced examples of both gypsum and salt karst and subsidence are in the Permian basin of the southwestern United States, but many other areas also are significant. Human activities have caused some evaporite–subsidence development, primarily in salt deposits. Boreholes may enable (either intentionally or inadvertently) unsaturated water to flow through or against salt deposits, thus allowing development of small to large dissolution cavities. If the dissolution cavity is large enough and shallow enough, successive roof failures above the cavity can cause land subsidence or catastrophic collapse.