Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Drainage and flooding in karst terranes

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Flooding in karst terranes is a commonly occurring geo-hazard. It causes damage to property, businesses, and roadways. It can lead to the formation of cover-collapse sinkholes and groundwater contamination. Generally, three types of flooding or their combinations are related to karst: recharge-related sinkhole flooding, flow-related flooding, and discharge-related flooding. Understanding of the type of flooding is essential for solving the flooding problem. Areas prone to karst flooding should be recognized, and restrictions and laws on land use should be implemented. Runoff and erosion control plans should address the unique characteristics of karst features. Digging out clogged sinkholes, creating retention basins, or installing Class V Injection Wells are possible solutions to improve drainage of storm water. Solutions to flooding problems in karst areas should also be coordinated with the water quality control to prevent groundwater contamination.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barner WL (1997) Comparison of storm water management techniques in a karst terrane in Springfield, Missouri. In: Beck BF, Stephenson JB (eds) Proceedings of the Sixth Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 253–258

  • Bonacci O (1987) Karst hydrology. Springer Series in Physical Environment. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 184

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawford NC (1986) Karst hydrology problems associated with urban development: Groundwater contamination, hazardous fumes, sinkhole flooding, and sinkhole collapse in the Bowling Green, Kentucky area. The National Ground Water Association Conference: Environmental Problems in Karst Terranes and Their Solutions

  • Crawford NC (1984) Sinkhole flooding associated with urban development upon karst terrain: Bowling Green, Kentucky. In: Barry FB (ed) Proceedings of the First Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes, Balkema, Rotterdam, 283–291

  • Dinger JS, Rebmann JR (1986) Ordinance for the control of urban development in sinkhole areas in the Blue Grass karst region, Lexington, Kentucky. The National Ground Water Conference: Environmental Problems in Karst Terranes and Their Solutions, 163–180

  • Doughty PH (1989) Land use regulations in the Lehigh Valley: Zoning and subdivision ordinances in an environmentally sensitive karst region. Proceedings of 3rd Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes, St. Petersburg Beach, FL, 341–348

  • Fischer JA, Lechner H (1989) A karst ordinance—Cliton Township, New Jersey. sensitive karst region. Proceedings of 3rd Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes, St. Petersburg Beach, FL, 357–361

  • Ford D, Williams P (1989) Karst Geomorphology and Hydrology. Unwin Hyman, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Jie W, Lounsbury RA, Zhou WF, Beck BF, Pettit AJ (2003) A statistical approach to determining high- and low-flow conditions in a karst area of southern Indiana. In Proceedings of The Thirteenth Annual Tennessee Water Resources Symposium, April 9–11, 2003, 32–37

  • Kochanov W E (1995) Strom-water management and sinkhole occurrence in the Palmyra area, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. In: Beck BF (ed) Karst Geohazards. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 285–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Li JK, Zhou WF (1988) Karst groundwater inrush and its prevention and control in coal mines in China. In: Yuan DX (ed) Proceedings of 21st IAH Conference, Geological Publishing House 176(2):1075–1082

  • Lloyd JW, Williams GM, Foster SSD, Ashley RP, Lawrence AR (1991) Urban and industrial groundwater pollution. In: Downing RA, Wilkinson WB (eds) Applied groundwater hydrology. Oxford Science Publication

  • Ogden AE (1994) Investigation of sinkhole flooding problems in the Chilhowee Park area, Knoxville, Tennessee. Prepared for City of Knoxville Department of Engineering by Ground Water Consulting Services, Cookeville, p 18

  • Ogden AE, Scott A (1997) Groundwater tracing for spring basin delineation in a flood prone area of Rutherford County, Tennessee. Karst-water Environment Symposium, Roanoke, pp 9–17

  • Palmer AN (1991) Origin and morphology of limestone caves. Geoll Socf Amn Bull 103:1–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinlan JF (1989) Groundwater monitoring in karst terranes: recommended protocols, regulatory problems, and implicit assumptions. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Draft Report. Las Vegas, pp 67

  • Richardson JJ (2003) Local land use regulation of karst in the United States. In: Beck BF (ed) Sinkholes and the engineering and environmental impacts of Karst, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 122, ASCE, pp 492–501

  • Reese AJ, Cantrell A, Scarborough J (1997) Sinkhole and drainage planning in Johnson City, Tennessee. In: Beck BF, Stephenson BJ (eds) The Engineering geology and hydrogeology of Karst Terranes. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 265–270

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart CC (1999) Subsidiary conduit system: a hiatus in aquifer monitoring and modeling. In: Palmer AN, Palmer MV, Sasowsky ID (eds) Proceedings of Karst Modeling, Charlottesville, pp 146–157

  • Stephenson BS, Zhou WF, Beck BF, Green TS (1999) Highway stormwater runoff in karst areas—preliminary results of baseline monitoring and design of a treatment system for a sinkhole in Knoxville, Tennessee. Eng Geol 52:51–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troester W, White EL, White WB (1984) A comparison of sinkhole depth frequency distributions in temperate and tropical karst regions. In: Beck BF (ed) Sinkhole: their geology, engineering and environmental impacts. Rotterdam, Balkema, pp 65–73

    Google Scholar 

  • White WB (1993) Analysis of karst aquifers. In: Alley WM (ed) Regional ground-water quality. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp 471–489

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams PW (1985) Subcutaneous hydrology and the development of doline and cockpit karst. Z Geomorph 29(4):463–482

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiang SJ, Zhang ML, Gong WX (1997) Submergence of the Banwen underground river by the Yantan Reservoir and subsequent flooding disasters. In: Beck BF, Stephenson JB (eds) The engineering geology and hydrogeology of Karst Terranes. Rotterdam, Balkema, pp 273–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou WF (1997) The formation of sinkholes in karst mining areas in China and some methods of prevention. Environ Geol 31(1/2):50–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou WF (2000) Studies of confluent flow in mature karst aquifers using analog models and numerical mixing cell models. In: Sasowsky ID, Wick CM (eds) Groundwater flow and contaminant transport in carbonate aquifers. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 157–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou WF, Beck BF, Green TS (2005) Evaluation of a peat filtration system for treating highway runoff in a karst setting. Environ Geol 44:187–202

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. P.E. LaMoreaux & Associates, Inc., 106 Administration Road, Ste.4, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA

    Wanfang Zhou

Authors
  1. Wanfang Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wanfang Zhou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhou, W. Drainage and flooding in karst terranes. Environ Geol 51, 963–973 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0365-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0365-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation