Post by jonsdigs on Nov 29, 2006 8:00:32 GMT -5
Seminar aims to raise sinkhole awareness
By TONY MARRERO
Hernando Today
Published: Nov 28, 2006
BROOKSVILLE — In a less environmentally conscious time, Florida residents saw sinkholes as convenient places to dump their garbage.
Today, a lot more people realize that many sinkholes are portals to the aquifer.
But the garbage that still winds up in sinkholes shows the mission to raise awareness is never-ending, said Alys Brockway, conservation coordinator for the Hernando County Utilities Department.
“We want people to understand that, especially in the case of older sinkholes, there could be a direct connection to drinking water,” Brockway said.
The department will host a seminar on Florida’s sinkholes Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at its office, 21030 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. Reservations are recommended.
The seminar is the second in the county’s Water Awareness Series.
Ann Tihansky, a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), will offer an overview of sinkhole geology, how and why they occur and how they can affect groundwater.
Any such overview must begin with a definition of the word “karst,” Tihansky said.
Karst is the geological term for the landform that develops when rock dissolves. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground.
It creates such distinct features as springs, caves, disappearing streams, and, of course, sinkholes, Tihansky said.
“Mantled” karst is covered by sand and clay, and “Hernando County is a beautiful example of mantled karst,” she said.
“It makes for a very interesting place to live.”
As well as a place where residents should be especially conscious of pollution, she added. All those holes acts as conduits, “the pathways for all the water to be recharged,” Tihansky said.
“It’s a very efficient way of moving water through the system, and that makes for a vulnerable aquifer,” she said. “From that standpoint, protecting sinkholes and the areas around them is helping us protect our groundwater resources.”
In Hernando County, Peck Sink is a prime example. The sink between State Road 50 and Wiscon Road drains a watershed of about 10,827 acres, including a portion of the existing Brooksville urban area and developing residential-golf course communities of Hernando Oaks and Southern Hills Plantation.
Peck Sink is considered one of the most vulnerable in West Central Florida because it has direct shafts to the Floridan Aquifer.
Brockway and the county-sponsored Groundwater Guardians have helped pull tons of debris from the sink, from bowling balls to antifreeze bottles.
The county recently purchased a portion of the area with plans to build a passive park.
In Florida, the word “sinkhole” also evokes fear in homeowners who worry that their home could be swallowed by one or at least rendered uninhabitable after the sinking land creates an unstable and unsafe structure.
The summer is always a prime time for sinkholes as rainwater swells an aquifer depleted by the dry season, Tahinsky said. These “hydrological extremes” cause a “readjustment of the landscape” that often results in sinkholes.
This year could be especially bad because Hernando County is already in the beginning stages of a drought brought on by a less than average rainfall last summer. That will mean an even drier extreme will be doused when the rains come.
Still, Tahinsky hopes residents will take a long view when it comes to sinkholes.
“We have engineering to fix structural issues, but to clean up an aquifer that’s been degraded over time … that’s a much more difficult problem to solve.”
Article
By TONY MARRERO
Hernando Today
Published: Nov 28, 2006
BROOKSVILLE — In a less environmentally conscious time, Florida residents saw sinkholes as convenient places to dump their garbage.
Today, a lot more people realize that many sinkholes are portals to the aquifer.
But the garbage that still winds up in sinkholes shows the mission to raise awareness is never-ending, said Alys Brockway, conservation coordinator for the Hernando County Utilities Department.
“We want people to understand that, especially in the case of older sinkholes, there could be a direct connection to drinking water,” Brockway said.
The department will host a seminar on Florida’s sinkholes Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at its office, 21030 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. Reservations are recommended.
The seminar is the second in the county’s Water Awareness Series.
Ann Tihansky, a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), will offer an overview of sinkhole geology, how and why they occur and how they can affect groundwater.
Any such overview must begin with a definition of the word “karst,” Tihansky said.
Karst is the geological term for the landform that develops when rock dissolves. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground.
It creates such distinct features as springs, caves, disappearing streams, and, of course, sinkholes, Tihansky said.
“Mantled” karst is covered by sand and clay, and “Hernando County is a beautiful example of mantled karst,” she said.
“It makes for a very interesting place to live.”
As well as a place where residents should be especially conscious of pollution, she added. All those holes acts as conduits, “the pathways for all the water to be recharged,” Tihansky said.
“It’s a very efficient way of moving water through the system, and that makes for a vulnerable aquifer,” she said. “From that standpoint, protecting sinkholes and the areas around them is helping us protect our groundwater resources.”
In Hernando County, Peck Sink is a prime example. The sink between State Road 50 and Wiscon Road drains a watershed of about 10,827 acres, including a portion of the existing Brooksville urban area and developing residential-golf course communities of Hernando Oaks and Southern Hills Plantation.
Peck Sink is considered one of the most vulnerable in West Central Florida because it has direct shafts to the Floridan Aquifer.
Brockway and the county-sponsored Groundwater Guardians have helped pull tons of debris from the sink, from bowling balls to antifreeze bottles.
The county recently purchased a portion of the area with plans to build a passive park.
In Florida, the word “sinkhole” also evokes fear in homeowners who worry that their home could be swallowed by one or at least rendered uninhabitable after the sinking land creates an unstable and unsafe structure.
The summer is always a prime time for sinkholes as rainwater swells an aquifer depleted by the dry season, Tahinsky said. These “hydrological extremes” cause a “readjustment of the landscape” that often results in sinkholes.
This year could be especially bad because Hernando County is already in the beginning stages of a drought brought on by a less than average rainfall last summer. That will mean an even drier extreme will be doused when the rains come.
Still, Tahinsky hopes residents will take a long view when it comes to sinkholes.
“We have engineering to fix structural issues, but to clean up an aquifer that’s been degraded over time … that’s a much more difficult problem to solve.”
Article