Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan for Karst/Sinkholes for the Lincoln Trail ADD

The Lincoln Trail Area Development District (ADD) contains the communities within Breckinridge, Meade, Grayson, Hardin, Nelson, Larue, Washington, and Marion Counties. The ADD extends across three major physiographic regions of the state, from the outer Bluegrass across the Mississippian Plateaus and into the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Much of the area in the ADD is underlain by limestone geology and is prone to karst/sinkhole hazards. Prominent karst features, such as sinkholes, caves, and large springs, all indicative of a karst system, are found in every county in the ADD. The 2018 Kentucky Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies the karst related hazards and the limited knowledge on the extent of the impact due to significant data gaps on both when these have occurred and the probability of this hazard occurring. To overcome the limits identified in that plan, this project proposes to create a system for improved vulnerability assessment through active involvement of emergency managers, local officials, and the local population through a four part process: 1) Development of a user]friendly sinkhole collapse reporting system; 2) Improved Hazard Identification; 3) Improved Hazard Assessment; and 4) Mitigation strategies. Once these data are developed, they will be integrated into the mitigation plan and will be adopted by the communities in the region. Adoption of the plan will be completed after drafts have been made public and adoption resolutions will be submitted to FEMA for their review and records. The plan maintenance schedule will coincide with the communityfs existing maintenance schedule for its hazard mitigation plan.