Mapping Karst Groundwater Basins for Radcliff as a Groundwater Quality Management Tool

Statement of Problem: The City of Radcliff is built on a karst landscape of sinkholes, caves, and springs. The sinkhole-disrupted topography makes it is nearly impossible to dl~termine which sinkhole drains to a specific spring. In the past, storm water disposal and development plans were made without a full understanding of where the water flows from a project site and have led to a variety of problems. Radcliff has over 80 sinkholes within its jurisdiction that are prone to flooding. Sinkholes that have structures to speed inflow are subject to regulation as Class V injection wells. The economic loss from the sinkhole flooding and the regulations on the quality of water being artificially recharged into the karst aquifer can be significant. An accurate understanding of the karst and specifically the basin boundaries will aid the design of mitigation structures and allow for development policies that are both cost effective and hydrologically sound. These actions will save the city money while maintaining a sustainable environment. Protect Area and Teml: The project area is bounded by Mill Creek in the east and Otter Creek in the w~st. The southern limit is roughly the W. A. Jenkins Road near the High School and extends to the north to Northern Rd. and Knox Blvd. The larger project area is about 35 square miles and includes all of the 12 square miles of Radcliff. Groundwater basins do not respect political boundaries and the project area will be a~justed as work progresses. We recommend the project begin July 1, 2006 but must begin no later than October 1, 2006. The final report will be due one year after the contract is signed. Approach: KGS will professionally conduct a qualitative groundwater-tracing project to map all of the karst groundwater basins wholly or partially inside the City of Radcliff. KGS will conduct as many traces as possible during the field season but attempt no less than 24 traces. Groundwater tracing involves more than putting a tracer into the ground. KGS will scout for undocumented springs and swallow holes. KGS staff will manufacture and service the 30 plus dye receptors deployed each week, treat and analyze the receptors, interview residents and seek permission to work on their property. We request that the City provide occasional use of a truck to haul water where natural inflow is not available at important locations, and assistance in locating property owners and access to critical sites. The fieldwork requires vegetation cover be minimal and that flow from the surface into the ground be occurring, therefore the fieldwork will begin in October 2006. A copy of the KGS methods and protocol will accompany the UK approved proposal. Deliverables: A [mal report will be prepared describing the findings and will include a 1:24,000 scale paper map showing the dye injection and recovery sites, the inferred groundwater flow routes, and the estimated groundwater basin boundaries as constrained by the groundwater tracing. A compact disk with scanned copi,es of field notes, spring inspection forms, dye injection reports, dye receptor field and analysis sheets, and any photographs will accompany the report. A copy of relevant GIS shape files will also be provided.