Neighborhood wants geology protected

[jonsdigs]

Neighborhood wants geology protected
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/26/2008

CLAYTON — A neighborhood association in north St. Louis County wants the County Council to strengthen protection of the unique limestone geology in its area.

Glenn Powers, the county's planning director, on Friday backed the proposal of the Old Jamestown Association to protect the Florissant karst geology.

"It fills in the gaps" of protection that already exists, he said. The planning department may propose an ordinance in about two months, he said.

Florissant karst is a type of limestone with numerous sinkholes that drain the water around it. The karst area of four square miles generally is bounded by the Missouri River, Highway 367, Lindbergh Boulevard and New Halls Ferry Road.

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[Azurerana]

Cool!
I hadn't gotten to the paper this morning yet.
This is about 2 miles north of where my mother-law lives. The Florissant karst is pretty interesting-- there is a place named Sinks Road, which looks like it has been strafe-bombed. It's karst of course. Mostly Pennslyvanian surface/upper Mississippian/alluvial surface.

There are underground voids there, used for natural gas storage by the local gas company. While drilling for their storage facility in limestone, they struck oil. It's now the 4th largest producing oilfield in the state. <100,000 barrels a year, but hey, it's something. They also found small amounts of natural gas..nearly all of what is stored there is pumped in, however.

The Jamestown Assn. gave a report at last fall's NCKMS in St. Louis. Aerial photos of the area make it look like a huge scale golf course. They are the only people in the area doing anything except putting tract housing on sinkhole plains, so I wish them well.