Great care must
be taken to protect and preserve these great underground
wonders. Caves are non-renewable natural resources which
benefit and enrich our lives in many ways, a few of which
are: Insect Control, Scientific Knowledge, Water Supply
and Education/Recreation. Caves may seem eternal, having
been around for hundreds of thousands or even millions
of years. But every cave is sensitive, whether open to
the public as a show cave or an undeveloped wild cave.
The biggest threat to these fragile environments is man.
This threat includes, but is not limited to, Vandalism,
Quarrying, Dam Construction and Water Pollution.
Caves and the land in which they are located
are closely tied together. What happens on the surface
can affect the subsurface, including groundwater and caves.
For many years it was generally believed soil protected
groundwater from contamination by human activities on
the surface, filtering out the contaminants. However,
this was found to be untrue. Activities on the land's
surface - including sewage pollution, solid waste pollution,
oil and gas pollution, and runoff from agricultural chemicals
can adversely affect the quality of groundwater, the drinking
water for about 50% of the US population.
Due to its complex geological history, New
York has four types of aquifers. Those in carbonate rock
are located in the valleys of central and southeastern
NY. In the caves, solution channels and sinkholes (karst
terrain) of these aquifers can store large amounts of
groundwater. Contaminants from the surface can move rather
quickly and reappear in water supplies miles from their
source.
Touring a cavern gives us a good picture
of karst. Imagine you are actually inside the groundwater
system, touring a portion of an aquifer, where all the
cracks and crevices were once completely filled with water.
As the limestone beneath the soil was dissolved to form
the cave, the overlying soil settled or collapsed to form
sinkholes. Water entering the ground through sinkholes
can carry soil, organic debris, and pollutants. This surface
water becomes part of the groundwater flow system. Contaminated
water draining through a sinkhole in turn pollutes groundwater
that wells and springs draw from. Sinkholes are environmentally
sensitive areas and should never be used as dump sites.
Sinkholes which have been used as dumps should be cleaned
out to prevent any further contamination of the groundwater.
Treat sinkholes with care. Remember: what you see in
a sinkhole is what you get in your faucet.
Detecting groundwater contamination can
be difficult, much more difficult than detection of surface
water contamination. Because we can't see groundwater,
usually first we notice any contamination when it appears
in water from springs or wells. Cleaning up groundwater
can be costly and difficult.
What Can Be Done?
The public needs to understand that surface
wastes can easily enter the groundwater system in karst
areas. Factories which produce industrial and hazardous
wastes must be located in areas away from sinkholes. Newer
fuel storage tanks, which are less likely to leak, should
be used and older storage tanks replaced. Old city sewage
systems need to be repaired or replaced. New plastic pipes
will stretch rather than break when new sinkholes develop
along sewer lines. Farmers can reduce the use of pesticides
and depend more on organic farming methods.
What Can You Do?
Recycle!!
The only way to reduce the amount of trash going to landfills
is for all Americans to actively recycle. Share the message
of cave conservation with your family and friends.
At any cave you may visit, remember this
motto: Take nothing but pictures; Leave nothing but footprints;
Kill nothing but time!!
For more information on cave conservation,
check the American Cave Conservation Association and Northeastern Cave Conservancy Webpages!
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Learn
More About Howe Caverns In Our Cavern Classroom:
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