Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Geology of the Ozark Plateau and
Effects on Wastewater Systems
5 Major Geologic Regions in Missouri
Glaciated Plains
Osage
Plains
Bob Schultheis
Natural Resource Engineering Specialist
St. Francois
Mountains
Ozark Plateau
for
Webster County Health Unit Sewage System Training
June 5, 2013 ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
Special thanks to Sherri Stoner, R.G., for
her slides used in this presentation.
Groundwater Regions
in Missouri
Glaciated
Plains
Southeastern
Lowlands
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Division of Geology and Land Survey
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Typical Geology of the Ozark Plateau
Missouri‐Mississippi
River Valleys
• Includes the Salem Plateau and Springfield Plateau
• Underlain by highly permeable limestone and dolomite bedrock (karst)
• Large amounts of groundwater
Transition Zone
Osage‐Salt
Plains
2
St. Francois
Mountains
The Ozarks
Ozark Plateau
Southeastern
Lowlands
Camden County
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Pulaski County
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Typical Geology of the Ozark Plateau
• Soils are highly weathered • High Iron (Fe) and Aluminum (Al) content
• Vary in thickness and are poor quality; thin soils provide little treatment
• Soils can be extremely gravelly and have high permeability
• Because the soils are highly permeable, there is a short retention time, therefore minimal natural filtration
Christian County
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8
Dallas County
Camden County
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Hickory County 11
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Relic bedrock structure
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Greene County
Typical Geology of the Ozark Plateau
Groundwater aquifers
are highly susceptible to contamination from the surface!!!
Chert “granola”
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What is Karst?
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Karst Map of the United States
• A geologic landscape characterized by the presence of:




Sinkholes
Losing streams
Caves & underground drainage systems
Springs
• Created as groundwater dissolves underlying bedrock such as limestone or dolomite
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Basic Solution Weathering Process
How Does Karst Form?
Small fractures in the bedrock allow water
to migrate downward. Remember, during
this process water is a weak carbonic acid.
H20 (rainwater) + CO2 (carbon dioxide)
=
H2CO3
(weak carbonic acid)
CaCO3 (limestone) + H2CO3
=
Ca + CO2 + H2O (groundwater)
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Pre subtitle‐D landfill overlying karst
Basic Solution Weathering Process
The fractures continue to grow and enlarge,
ultimately resulting in the development of
underground drainage systems.
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Hickory County
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Features of Karst ‐ Sinkholes
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Christian County
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Features of Karst ‐ Sinkholes
• Natural depression in the ground
surface formed by the dissolution
and collapse in soluble rock
• Ranging in diameter from a few feet
to more than 3,000 feet
• Depths range from barely discernible to the
eye and not represented on topographic
maps to hundreds of feet deep.
• Drainage is subterranean.
• They are direct
funnels to the
underground.
Sinkhole near Edgar Springs
in Phelps County
Source: www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wrc/springsandcaves.htm
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Sinkholes in Missouri
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How are Sinkholes Formed? Solutional
enlargement of the
cave continues.
A cave stream
develops.
Residuum (soil developed from weathering of rock)
A cave is developed through a long
period of solutional weathering.
Limestone
Recharge
Cave
Cave
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The void begins to
slope upward into the
residuum while the
cave stream carries
the collapsing soils
away.
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Recharge is artificially
enhanced by gutter
downspouts or onsite
sewage disposal.
Cave
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Cave
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Periodically the sink
throat becomes choked
with sediment.
The soil void breaks
through at the surface.
Cave
Cave
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How Sinkholes Form
Erosion Leaves a Bowl‐Shaped Depression
Sinkhole
The sinkhole throat may
become choked with soils
but continues to act as a
recharge feature.
Cave
33
Source: www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/geores/sinkholeformation.htm
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Jasper County
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Lincoln County
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Camden County
Pike County
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2004 Berg Sinkhole Collapse, Barry County
Sinkhole Collapse Damage
Sinkhole Collapse – Nixa, Christian County
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Lake Chesterfield Sinkhole Sinkhole due to soil piping into 9‐inch fracture
Cedar County
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St. Louis County
42
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Sinkhole Formation in Lake Chesterfield Burlington Limestone - St. Louis County
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Burlington Limestone - St. Louis County
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Solution Enlarged Fractures are Found
Exploration Efforts Begin……
Burlington Limestone - St. Louis County
Sinkhole Formation in Lake Chesterfield
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Burlington Limestone - St. Louis County
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One of Several Voids Found
Features of Karst – Losing Streams
• A stream that loses a significant part of
its normal runoff into bedrock openings
beneath the streambed
Goodwin Hollow, Laclede Co.
Burlington Limestone - St. Louis County
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Source: www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wrc/springsandcaves.htm
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Losing and Gaining
Streams in Missouri
Gaining Stream Setting
Legend
Losing Stream
Gaining Stream
Alluvium
Bedrock
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Typical Losing Stream
Losing Stream Setting
Alluvium
Weathered
Bedrock
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Typical Losing Stream
North Cobb Creek (Laclede County)
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Typical Losing Stream
McDonald County
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Pettijohn Hollow (Camden County)
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Typical Losing Stream
Typical Losing Stream
Laclede County
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Taney County56
Schluersburg
Karst Chasm
Typical Losing Stream
St. Charles County
July 2000
Completely filled with
coarse gravel
January 2000
237 feet long, 30 feet deep,
5 to 10 feet wide
Taney County
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Gasconade River at I-44, Laclede County
Laclede / Pulaski County
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Discharge…about 44 ft3/sec (19,750 gpm)
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Gasconade River at Rt. T, Pulaski County
Discharge…about 0.4 ft3/sec (180 gpm)
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Where are U.S. Caves ?
Features of Karst ‐ Caves
A natural cavity
beneath the earth’s
surface. Caves are
formed when slightly
acidic water combines
with limestone or
dolomitic rock, and
dissolves the rock,
creating a cavity.
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Where are Missouri Caves ?
Greene County
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Features of Karst ‐ Springs
A natural discharge of water from a rock
or soil to the surface
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Large Springs of Missouri
Springs in Missouri
Big Spring, Carter County, 272 MGD
Greer Spring, Oregon County, 222 MGD
Bennett Spring, Dallas County, 114 MGD
Source: www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wrc/springsandcaves.htm
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Clear Creek Park Spring, Greene County
Mill Spring, Camden County
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
unnamed spring, Pulaski County
Meramec Spring, Phelps County
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Groundwater Movement in Karst
• Groundwater moves through
discrete conduits
Recharge from sinkholes and losing
streams
Discharges to the surface at springs
Travels great distances in short
amount of time. Travel time in feet to
miles per day
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The Ozark Plateau
Sinkholes
Losing
Stream
Contamination Potential in Karst Areas Thick Residual
Soils
Large
Spring
Sandstone
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Residuum
Karst areas are more susceptible to
contamination from the surface
because:
 Highly Permeable Bedrock
 Limited Retention Time
 Limited Natural Attenuation
Just How Susceptible?
Limestone or Dolomite
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
West Plains Lagoon Sinkhole
West Plains Lagoon Sinkhole, Howell County, 1978
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Sewage took 11 days to reach Mammoth Spring
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Groundwater Tracing
How Do We Know Where Groundwater Is Going ??
Injection of an identifiable
fluorescent substance at one
location and monitor for recovery
of the dye at a different location.
Fluorescein dye
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Lancaster Road Sinkhole Dump, Laclede County
Rhodamine dye
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Upper Little Flat Creek, Barry County
Hahatonka Spring
Straight-line distance - 11 miles
Travel time - 5 ½ days
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Dye detected in <1 week
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Dye placed into losing stream 40 miles west of Big Spring
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Big Spring, Carter County
Big Spring Dye Trace, Carter County
Wastewater Limitations of the Ozark Plateau
•
40 miles
30 miles
20 miles
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Underlain by highly permeable bedrock and soils (karst)
10 miles
Groundwater aquifers are highly susceptible to contamination
from the surface!!!
Dye traveled 40 miles in 14 days
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Environmental Issues and Impacts
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Health/Social Issues and Impacts
• Water quality degradation
• Contamination of drinking water by
diseases and invasive parasites
– Excessive nutrients may reach springs,
streams and rivers through groundwater
drainage.
– Nutrients promote algae and aquatic plant
growth which can impair water transparency
and aquatic life.
– Household chemicals, oils and cleaning
products can also release toxins into the
environment.
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– Cholera
– Hepatitis A, B, C
– Typhoid
– Polio
– Salmonella
– Viral Gastroenteritis
– Shigella
– Cryptosporidiosis
– Staphylococcus
– Giardiasis
– Dysentery
– Worms
(flat, tape, round, hook)
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Webster County Health Unit On‐site Sewage Training ‐‐ Marshfield, MO
6/5/2013
Environmental “Hot Spots”
Health/Social Issues and Impacts
• Quality of life
Failing septic systems
Abandoned wells
Livestock lagoons
On-farm solid waste disposal
On-farm fuel storage areas
Hazardous materials disposal
On-farm pesticide &
fertilizer storage areas
• Former methamphetamine labs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
– Aesthetic (scenic environment)
– Economic (tourism)
– Recreation (fishing, boating, swimming)
– Safety
Aerial photo of 1999 algae bloom in the James River
arm of Table Rock Lake (Missouri DNR photo)
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Why are Wastewater Systems Regulated……
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Questions??
Robert A. (Bob) Schultheis
Natural Resource Engineering Specialist
Webster County Extension Center
800 S. Marshall St.
Marshfield, MO 65706
Voice: 417-859-2044
Fax: 417-468-2086
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: extension.missouri.edu/webster
Program Complaint Information
To file a program complaint you may contact
any of the following:
University of Missouri
 MU Extension AA/EEO Office
109 F. Whitten Hall, Columbia, MO 65211
 MU Human Resources Office
130 Heinkel Bldg, Columbia, MO 65211
USDA
 Office of Civil Rights, Director
Room 326-W, Whitten Building
14th and Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250-9410
Sherri Stoner, R.G.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Division of Geology and Land Survey
111 Fairgrounds Road, P.O. Box 250
Rolla, MO 65402-0250
Voice: 573-368-2129
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: dnr.mo.gov
To protect our underground sources of current and potential drinking water resources from contamination.
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