BRIDGING THE GAP: EXAMINING AN UNDOCUMENTED COMPONENT OF THE KARST HYDROLOGY OF TENNESSEE

Among the 10,000+ caves of Tennessee, the pioneers of karst research laid the groundwork for a detailed analysis of karst aquifers in this beautiful state. Through a search of the existing literature a significant gap was found to exist in the state regarding springs, their magnitude, and what springs might be the largest in terms of discharge. This research aims to take a deeper dive into studying relationships between karst spring discharge and the recharge basins that contribute flow to these beautiful resurgences. This new project, the Karst Springs Initiative (KSI), focuses on the largest springs of Tennessee, building on previous research conducted by karst scientists in the past and attempting to quantify these resources for continued and future research.

The discussion will provide an overview of research to date, a summary of existing data gaps, and how the KSI plans to establish a database of spring measurements in order to better understand and thus protect these valuable groundwater resources. Work thus far has focused on establishing a continuous discharge monitoring site in the East Fork of the Obey River drainage, where the flow from one of the largest stream sinks in the United States resurges after 10 km. Discharge measurements are being used to create a rating curve and establish the relationship between flow at the spring and a United States Geological Survey gaging station, located 13 km downstream. Additionally, occasional discharge measurements have been conducted recently at several large springs along the Cumberland Plateau in an effort to determine what the largest karst springs are in the state of Tennessee and to prioritize future continuous monitoring sites. The project is currently in the beginning stages but has already laid out an ambitious path to examine an understudied resource in a significant karst region.