On the western side of the state where the Appalachian Mountains run, we have forever been blessed with or hindered by (depending on how you look at it) karst topography. Karst topography is a type of geography that allows sinkholes, caves and caverns to develop when mountains are created and water flows through. In other words, if the whole state were made out of cheese, the Appalachian Mountain region would be made from swiss. In Virginia this covers a 24 county area. The wonderful caves and caverns we tour on summer vacations are examples of this type of geography, but so are sinkholes. Unfortunately some people have considered sinkholes a great place to put trash, instead of taking it to a recycling facility or a landfill. It was estimated in the early nineties that there was approximately 4,000 illegal dumps where there is karst topography. Since then, some of them have been cleaned up or plugged, but many remain. A good majority are located on rural farms, some in wooded areas near back roads. The main problem with these sinkholes is that some are a direct pipeline to much of our underground aquifers where many of us get our drinking water. The main contributor to any underground aquifer is rain and snow. When that rain and snow mixes with contaminates from pollution in sinkholes, you create a problem for anyone who has a well nearby. At one time or another, you’ve probably heard of someone’s drinking water being contaminated from their well, and pollution is a main cause. Cleaning out sinkholes therefore, makes for a great conservation project. We can actually see sinkholes now more than in the summer since most of the plants and weeds around them have died off, so they are easy to locate. It is especially easy to see them from the air. There are some places that this affects the water we fish in as well. The karst region has a few streams that come directly out of the mountain that normally hold very good quality water. The Lost River near Natural Bridge is one example. Cleaning up sinkholes can eliminate some contaminates from getting into our drinking water as well as our recreational waters, so grab the old farm truck and fill it up with trash from a sinkhole. One final note, make sure you thoroughly inspect the sinkhole before you clean it out for hazards such as loose soil and rocks, poison ivy or mean critters, especially in the summer.

Tad Phipps

State Conservation Director

VA BASS