PRELIMINARY WATER BUDGET ANALYSIS OF ROUNDSTONE CREEK WATERSHED, EASTERN KENTUCKY

This research investigates the dynamic interplay between surface water and karst conduits of a small watershed in Eastern Kentucky, Roundstone Creek. The objective of this study is to establish a preliminary water budget to assess gross gains and losses of stream discharge to the underlying karst cave system at multiple locations within the watershed. Within the confines of the watershed, the karst conduit system spans a length of 4 km, and together with adjoining karst systems that are actively interacting with Roundstone Creek, they span more than 24 km. Discharge is measured using the USGS midsection method and a YSI flow tracker at selected locations at watershed outlets and at junctions where the stream loses large volumes of water to the karst conduit system. Streamflow was dominated by loss into the karst conduits after spring 2023 runoff. Ultimately, there was no streamflow during late summer and fall of 2023 due to the combined effect of persistent drought and significant loss of baseflow to the karst conduits. We intend to integrate the findings with precipitation data, geologic data, and previous subsurface dye tracing to map the system, along with the upcoming spring season streamflow discharge measurements, to refine the water budget.