Post by L Roebuck on Feb 26, 2006 9:45:47 GMT -5
Mammoth Cave getting new lights as part of upgrade
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. - Mammoth Cave National Park's $6 million lighting system is on track to be finished before March 2007, along with a new safety system for visitors, park officials said.
More than 900 new lights will be in the cave, reducing the voltage from 7,200 to 480 volts and cutting down on unwanted, unnatural plant growth, said Steve Kovar, the park's chief of maintenance.
"That wavelength of light - 592 nanometers - doesn't support growth of algae," Kovar said.
Along with better lighting, phones are being put in for safety alerts, Kovar said. A button will light up on a control panel, alerting underground workers of tornado watches and inclement weather on the surface.
"Our infrastructure is old," Kovar said. "We've never had the ability to monitor what's going on down there - now we will."
Kovar said citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1998 got the light replacement project started.
"OSHA had inspected us and found fault in a number of areas. We were able to work with them to find out how we could correct some problems immediately. In the long run, we just had to install a new electrical system," said Vickie Carson, public affairs officer for the park.
Information from: Daily News, www.bgdailynews.com
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. - Mammoth Cave National Park's $6 million lighting system is on track to be finished before March 2007, along with a new safety system for visitors, park officials said.
More than 900 new lights will be in the cave, reducing the voltage from 7,200 to 480 volts and cutting down on unwanted, unnatural plant growth, said Steve Kovar, the park's chief of maintenance.
"That wavelength of light - 592 nanometers - doesn't support growth of algae," Kovar said.
Along with better lighting, phones are being put in for safety alerts, Kovar said. A button will light up on a control panel, alerting underground workers of tornado watches and inclement weather on the surface.
"Our infrastructure is old," Kovar said. "We've never had the ability to monitor what's going on down there - now we will."
Kovar said citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1998 got the light replacement project started.
"OSHA had inspected us and found fault in a number of areas. We were able to work with them to find out how we could correct some problems immediately. In the long run, we just had to install a new electrical system," said Vickie Carson, public affairs officer for the park.
Information from: Daily News, www.bgdailynews.com