KARST AQUIFERS AND THE ROLE OF ASSUMPTIONS AND AUTHORITY IN SCIENCE

The fact that karst aquifers constitute a class with properties distinct from other aquifers has been supported by the work of many may researchers. None the less, assessments of aquifers in limestone and dolomite where contamination issues exist, continue to be regularly mismanaged by practitioners who's training has been focused upon the properties of granular aquifers. Assumptions of pressure and pore space continuity, assumptions of isotropy and homogeneity relating to permeability testing, and the application of models and computer simulations based upon these assumptions are the principal cause of this mismanagement. The authority conferred by respected consulting firms and sophisticated computer simulations have allowed these fundamentally flawed studies to be utilized in situations involving contaminants where the public health and welfare must be appropriately served. Examples of the misuse of assumptions and authority relating to karst aquifers are discussed.