KGS Receives Funding from FEMA for Karst Mitigation Plan

KGS geologists received $293,984 in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs for the project “Multijurisdictional Mitigation Plan for Karst for the Lincoln Trail Area Development District.” Counties in the Lincoln Trail Area Development District are underlain by limestone bedrock, which often develops karst features such as caves and sinkholes. This project will help officials and residents better understand the risks related to karst and mitigate potential damage from sinkholes.

KGS Water Resources Section hydrogeologist Junfeng Zhu will lead the project. In addition to Zhu, KGS researchers Ben Tobin and Chuck Taylor, also from the Water Resources Section, and Hudson Koch of the Geologic Hazards Section will be involved with the project.

The research team will use LiDAR data to characterize existing sinkholes, and to assess the area for risk of future sinkhole hazards. Informational tools will be developed to aid data collection, including a web-based reporting system for sinkhole collapses. Researchers will work with emergency managers and district officials to create brochures for community members that describe how sinkholes form and ways to minimize impacts of sinkhole hazards.

New and expanded mitigation practices for each jurisdiction will be incorporated into a plan to help jurisdictions adopt these practices. The draft document will be made public and the research team will submit resolutions for adoption to FEMA for review.