MONITORING THE IMPACTS OF ANIMALS ON MANTLED KARST—LESSONS FOR URBANIZATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTHERN OZARKS

This study describes the data needed to successfully manage water supplies on mantled karst terrane, specifically focusing on the case study of a concentrated animal-feeding operation (CAFO) as an analog for humans in an urban karst setting. The CAFO site is in Big Creek basin, Newton County, Arkansas; it lies on the Boone Formation, a karstified limestone containing from 50% to 70% chert. This setting is typical of the Springfield Plateau physiographic province, which encompasses a significant portion of the western and southern Ozarks. The CAFO will contain 6500 hogs when it is fully operational, and is about 7 kilometers upstream from the Buffalo National River, a major canoeing and tourist attraction. This industrial hog farm has created major controversy between agricultural and environmental interests, and serves as an excellent example of an activity caught between politics, economics, and the need to protect a unique natural gem. It is a case study that cries out for science, but like many actions in today’s society, gives science little credence. Inasmuch as no geologic or karst studies were conducted prior to its being permitted by the state environmental agency, a group of volunteers undertook a sampling plan directed toward characterizing key components of karst hydrogeology and contaminant transport. The monitoring focus included: 1) establishing background water quality, including major constituents, nutrients, selected trace constituents, and indicator microbial organisms; 2) determining flow directions and travel times using multiple dyes for tracing groundwater movement; 3) conducting an in-depth karst inventory to establish the degree of surface water and groundwater interaction in this and contiguous basins; and 4) searching the literature for unique water-quality parameters that either alone in combination would provide confidence as source-tracking methodologies. Insofar as the study is in a relatively early stage, we will not only characterize our most recent results, but will also share the specifics the data, the political and economic considerations involved, and the implications for humans in urbanized karst settings elsewhere.