KARST GROUNDWATER VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF WAR FORK STREAM IN EASTERN KENTUCKY

Daniel Boone National Forest plays a key role in preserving much of Kentucky’s karst regions, natural resources including timber, mineral deposits, and biodiversity in Appalachian ecosystems, which includes over 300 species of concern. The health of these unique environments is determined by surface and groundwater streams in the forest, and karst systems are an integral environment where these systems are active. The Forest Service’s mixed land use ethos, with a mandate to provide for mining, logging, and recreational activities, only increases the importance of monitoring these areas. War Fork, a tributary to the Kentucky River in Jackson County, Kentucky, is a remote and understudied hydrologic system in the Daniel Boone National Forest with a recent history of significant timber activities, with logging implemented in the last decade. Due to karst areas being susceptible to contamination because of rapid water recharge rates and the collection of precipitation and streamflow from the surface, identifying and mapping locations where surface water and karst features converge can diagnose these direct indicators of vulnerability.

To assess the vulnerability of War Fork to contamination, we compiled geospatial and hydrogeologic inventory data to be incorporated into a groundwater vulnerability model using a modified COP blueprint. Modifications of this COP groundwater vulnerability model include incorporating other karst data and features, such as caves and springs, allowing for a more accurate model of the War Fork area. This model found that the most vulnerable regions were the ones where recharge to the karst system was most concentrated. This includes sinkholes located through GIS data, with sinking streams and surface areas near in-cave epikarst recharge points that were identified via field documentation. Recognizing these vulnerable hotspots is key to protecting these already sensitive environments from potential damage due to pollutants and can be brought into consideration when determining land management and use for karst regions.