Publication Date
April 2018
Abstract
A basic understanding of karst development and sinkhole formation is that water drives everything in karst. Design efforts need to consider this basic karst principle before undertaking any meaningful design. Another aspect of karst often overlooked by engineers is that sinkholes are direct input points where surface water can access the karst aquifer and impact water quality and hibernacula of caving dwelling species. Site characterization activities in karst typically only involve test borings and geophysical methods. These methods provide a valuable snap-shot in time of subsurface conditions, which is important, but they provide no insight into groundwater fluctuations. Case histories involving roadway, pipeline and building projects demonstrate the successes and failures of geotechnical engineering over karst. Several case histories indicate the detrimental impact of altering subsurface water conditions which can result in increased subsurface erosion and new sinkhole development. Case histories also underscore the importance of controlling surface water and when not properly considered the result can be sudden and catastrophic sinkhole development. Experience gained from new and forensic karst projects located along the eastern United States with aggregate construction costs approaching $1 billion all had a common theme; understand and control surface and subsurface water.
Rights Information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5038/9780991000982.1011
Case Histories: Karst Successes and Failures in the Eastern United States
A basic understanding of karst development and sinkhole formation is that water drives everything in karst. Design efforts need to consider this basic karst principle before undertaking any meaningful design. Another aspect of karst often overlooked by engineers is that sinkholes are direct input points where surface water can access the karst aquifer and impact water quality and hibernacula of caving dwelling species. Site characterization activities in karst typically only involve test borings and geophysical methods. These methods provide a valuable snap-shot in time of subsurface conditions, which is important, but they provide no insight into groundwater fluctuations. Case histories involving roadway, pipeline and building projects demonstrate the successes and failures of geotechnical engineering over karst. Several case histories indicate the detrimental impact of altering subsurface water conditions which can result in increased subsurface erosion and new sinkhole development. Case histories also underscore the importance of controlling surface water and when not properly considered the result can be sudden and catastrophic sinkhole development. Experience gained from new and forensic karst projects located along the eastern United States with aggregate construction costs approaching $1 billion all had a common theme; understand and control surface and subsurface water.
