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Sinkholes:  Facts and Photos

This giant sinkhole collapsed in Bowling Green, KY, just a few miles from the site of the proposed Kentucky TriModal Transpark. It is approximately 200 feet in diamater, and 35 feet deep. STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Photo by Local Pilot

To learn about sinkholes and the damage they can cause, visit the following Web sites. We think you'll agree that building an industrial park and airport in the Sinkhole Plain of Warren County, KY is a very bad idea.

Sinkholes in the News

Kentucky Climate Center
Information about sinkholes and the hazards they pose for developers. Includes photos of sinkhole disasters in Warren County, Kentucky, as well as a map showing that the Transpark site is in a high-risk area.
http://kccserv2.estb.wku.edu/~BRADD/sinkholes/intro.html

Crawford & Associates/Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc.
Explains how sinkholes and caves are formed, and how fumes from chemical spills can rise into homes.
http://www.dyetracing.com/karst/ka01000.html

Lost River Cave pollution
Report on how chemical and fuel spills polluted Lost River Cave in Bowling Green
http://www.uc.edu/geology/org-cont/bowling/bg.html

Karst: The stealthy hazard
Geotimes, May, 2001
Excellent article about the science of sinkhole hazards
http://www.geotimes.org/may01/feature2.html

P.E. LaMoreaux & Associates, Inc.
Sinkhole and Karst Conferences
Several photos of sinkholes in Pennsylvania.
http://www.pela-tenn.com/conf-07/7th-trip.htm

Allentown Corporate Plaza
See photos and read about the sinkhole that destroyed an office building in Allentown, PA, causing $10 million in damage.
http://www.phillyblast.com/Allentown/sinkhole.htm

Airport sinkholes cost taxpayers millions
http://www.rogerbrucker.com/airportsinkholes.html

Southwest Florida International Airport
Read about sinkholes that have caused $4.2 million worth of damage, and forced the closing of a runway. Karst is NOT a good foundation for an airport!
http://www.swfia.com/aboutairport/history/sinkhole.html

Aerial photo of sinkholes in southeastern Minnesota
http://www.winona.msus.edu/geology/MRW/mrwimages/sinkholes.jpg

Photos of sinkholes in Hernando County, Florida
http://www.dca.state.fl.us/eoc/EOC%20Activations/Fires_2001/Pictures/sinkholes/index.htm

Photo of huge sinkhole remediation in Polk County, Florida
http://www.pela-tenn.com/conf-06/6th.htm

Photo of a huge sinkhole that swallowed several buildings and part of a road in Florida
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwsinkholes.html

Misc. sinkholes in Maryland and Georgia
http://www.gpc.peachnet.edu/~pgore/geology/geo101/weather.htm

Photos of sinkholes in Alabama
http://www.gsa.state.al.us/gsa/sinkholes/sinkholes.html

Photos of sinkholes in Colorado and Arizona
http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~maher/air/air04.htm

Missouri Department of Conservation
Good background information on sinkholes
http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/conmag/2000/03/2.htm

Wisconsin sinkholes
http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/karstphotos.htm

Sinkholes in Australia
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa/a1sinkholes.htm

STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Warm cave air rises from below and meets the cold winter air, creating vapor
Photo by Don Davis

STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Within seconds, the intersection of Dishman Lane and Mill Valley Drive was a crater.
Photo by Local Pilot.
STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
When the sign says "stop," you'd better stop! Luckily, the driver of this pickup truck was not seriously hurt when the road collapsed beneath him.
Photo by Local Pilot
STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Photo by Don Davis
STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Photo by Local Pilot
STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Photo by Don Davis
STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
The sinkhole ruptured water and sewer lines. Imagine what could happen if a sinkhole would damage pipelines carrying sewage or hazardous chemicals at the Transpark. Such collapses can sever sewage lines and storm drainage conduits, along with gas lines, fiber optic cables, and underground electric lines. All structures are vulnerable and subject to expensive repair.
Photo by Don Davis
The Dishman Lane sinkhole under repair

The $1 million repair of the Dishman Lane sinkhole collapse in Bowling Green, KY required removal of loose material down to bedrock. Note the disection of the rock above the cave by groundwater. The cave passage is 30 feet wide x 20 feet high, with a river in the bottom
Photo by Guy Briggs, 8/7/02
Two power shovels load collapsed material into heavy dump trucks. The contractor's plan is to install 200 feet of 4-foot diameter pipe (shown in background) to carry the water, and fill in the hole with boulders and collapsed material. The relatively small pipe will only drain a fraction of the backed-up water during heavy rains. The excess water pressure could cause additional collapses.
Photo by Guy Briggs, 8/7/02

STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
This sinkhole in Logan County, KY is 70 feet deep. It opened in 1997 after heavy rains. The geology here is similar to the site chosen for the Kentucky TriModal Transpark.
Photo by Donnie Davis		 STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
A sinkhole caused this house to crack in Bullitt County, KY.




This sinkhole is in Pulaski County, KY, near where some politicians want to build the proposed Interstate 66, as well as a proposed bio-hazard laboratory. It only took about two days for the ground to sink approximately 30 feet. The entire sinkhole, which is not visible in this photograph, is wider than a Major League baseball diamond.		 STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Sinkholes frequently develop at the Capital City Airport in Pennsylvania. This one was repaired in September, 2001, and then collapsed again after a heavy rain fell.
Photo by Don Smith
STOPTRANSPARK.ORG
Unfortunately, some property owners use sinkholes as trash dumps. This one near Duncan Hines Highway and I-65 in Bowling Green, KY is filled with demolition debris. The weight of material and water seepage will eventually cause it to collapse. Sometimes dumps like this are permitted, but the record of dumping dangerous construction substances, such as glass fiber insulation, and the laxity of enforcement is a common occurence. Another demolition dump nearby, which closed in 1987, is contaminating the Barren River, costing taxpayers millions of dollars