AN ASSESSMENT OF THE WATER QUALITY OF KARST SPRINGS IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY

Abundant karst features in and around Kentucky can create pathways to contaminate groundwater, leading to unsuitable drinking water for consumption. The purpose of this project is to monitor the water quality of karst springs in northern and central Kentucky and to model environmental and meteorological factors contributing to groundwater quality. This process began by preparing a list of springs within a 60-mile radius from Northern Kentucky University, using previously published ArcGis spring databases. ArcGIS-based filtering narrowed down 30 springs. However, field visits to these sites could only locate eleven springs with a measurable flow. The environmental setting of the springs varied from rural farmland to urban state parks. Multiple water quality parameters were measured onsite once a month from May to September 2021 at eleven selected sites. Samples were also collected to measure the concentration of heavy metals using ICP in the lab. The distribution of Ca vs. K concentrations from the springs follows a straight line allowing us to distinguish the spatial distribution of the source aquifers. Preliminary laboratory analysis from ICP revealed elevated levels of Zn (range 30-40 ppm), Cd (range 0.32 to 0.38 ppm), and Cu (8.6 to 10.9 ppm) at all sampling sites. Additionally, all the monitored springs recorded elevated levels of nitrate at least once during the monitoring period. The higher nitrate levels were commonly recorded following storm events suggesting that the aquifers directly recharge from contaminated runoff. The arrival of contaminants at a spring can vary depending on local geological conditions. Further research is required to determine the source of the contaminants and the contaminant arrival time into spring following a storm event.