Karst and

Shallow
Carbonate Rock
in Wisconsin
Kenneth R. Bradbury
Wisconsin Geological and Natural
History Survey, UW-Extension

Wisconsin Crop
Management Conference,
January 14, 2009
Outline…

X What is Karst?
X Extent of karst in Wisconsin
X Water quality issues associated with karst and
fractured carbonate rock
X The Karst Task Force and Karst Report
• history
• goals
• findings and recommendations
 What is Karst?
X A type of topography that is formed on limestone, gypsum,
and other rocks, primarily by dissolution, and is
characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground
drainage (Glossary of Geology)

X Spectrum of landscapes -- Door Co to tower karst of China

X Significant land area - 20% of U.S., 40% of area east of

Mississippi River
How common is karst ?

From Veni et al 2001

Typical Features of
a Karst System

Runkel et al., 2003

Characteristics of karst in
Wisconsin…
X Compared to “classic” karst areas (Kentucky, Florida,
etc), karst features in Wisconsin tend to be small in
size but large in number. Although some large caves
and sinkholes occur, fractured carbonate rocks with
enlarged conduits are more common

X Because the karst literature is rife with jargon and

definitions it is not always useful to attempt to say
what is and what is not “karst”

X Instead, I refer to shallow carbonate rock as an

extremely vulnerable landscape, even if it does not
always fit the classic definitions of karst
Sinkhole in SE Wisconsin
 Expression of vertical
Silurian Dolomite fractures in alfalfa field
Aquifer

Roadside sinkhole

Open vertical crevice

Silurian Dolomite
Aquifer

X Calumet and Brown

Counties
 Distribution of carbonate rock

Legend
Su
Os
Opc
Bedrock within 50 feet of surface
Distribution of carbonate rock
within 50 feet of surface
Flow Characteristics of fractured carbonate Aquifers

X Dense and ubiquitous fracture network

• little surface runoff
• water easily infiltrates to subsurface
X Recharge
• exceedingly rapid
• carries surface contaminants to the water table
X Flow within the aquifer occurs primarily along bedding plane
fractures
• Little to no attenuation of contaminants within the aquifer
X Flow rates vary from 10’s to 100’s of ft/day
Regional Water Quality Data
http://wi.water.usgs.gov/gwcomp/find/brown/susceptibility.html

Contamination
susceptibility
varies spatially

For example,
Brown County
ranges from very
susceptible to
relatively
unsusceptible

These maps
have been
available since
1987
 NE WI Karst Task Force
X Broad membership
• Researchers
• County conservationists
• Farmers
• Crop consultants
• DNR, DATCP
X Two sub-commitees
• Vulnerability ranking
• BMPs
X Recommendations
• primarily intended to minimize
groundwater contamination from
pathogens and “brown water”
• secondarily intended to minimize
groundwater contamination from nitrate
Task Force Goals
1. Determine where our impact on the karst
aquifer begins.
2. Evaluate the best methods to reduce the
impact of agriculture on groundwater
quality.
3. Prioritize the implementation of available
technologies to prevent future problems.
4. Determine where gaps are in our
knowledge base.
Recommendation: Carbonate Bedrock
Management Zone

X Establishment by the legislature of a

Carbonate Bedrock Management Zone
similar to the existing Atrazine Prohibition
Zones defined in ATCP 30.

-- This will create a framework for multi-county

cooperation and local efforts, rather than a piecemeal
approach to aquifer protection.
Carbonate Bedrock Mgt Zone

Primary target counties:

• Brown
• Calumet
• Door
• Kewaunee
• Manitowoc

The exact boundaries of the

zone should be determined at
the local level, based on the
hydrogeology of the aquifer
 Level Relative
of protection Landscape criteria vulnerability
required to contamination

Less than 5 ft (60 inches) to carbonate

bedrock, and/or closed depressions or
1 any drainage areas that contribute
Extreme
water to sinkholes/bedrock openings

2 5-15 feet to carbonate rock High

3 >15-50 feet to carbonate rock Significant

Greater than 50 feet to carbonate

4 bedrock
Moderate
 Level Relative
of protection Landscape criteria vulnerability
required to contamination

Less than 5 ft (60 inches) to carbonate

bedrock, and/or closed depressions or
1 any drainage areas that contribute
Extreme
water to sinkholes/bedrock openings

2 5-15 feet to carbonate rock High

3 >15-50 feet to carbonate rock Significant

Greater than 50 feet to carbonate

4 bedrock
Moderate
 Level Relative
of protection Landscape criteria vulnerability
required to contamination

Less than 5 ft (60 inches) to carbonate

bedrock, and/or closed depressions or
1 any drainage areas that contribute
Extreme
water to sinkholes/bedrock openings

2 5-15 feet to carbonate rock High

3 >15-50 feet to carbonate rock Significant

Greater than 50 feet to carbonate

4 bedrock
Moderate
 Level Relative
of protection Landscape criteria vulnerability
required to contamination

Less than 5 ft (60 inches) to carbonate

bedrock, and/or closed depressions or
1 any drainage areas that contribute
Extreme
water to sinkholes/bedrock openings

2 5-15 feet to carbonate rock High

3 >15-50 feet to carbonate rock Significant

Greater than 50 feet to carbonate

4 bedrock
Moderate
Rock piles indicate filled swallow holes

Example of a karst delivery Sinkhole collapse in river bed

system –

Sinkholes form in the bed of

the Rush River, St Croix Co.
Runoff from adjacent fields
enters groundwater
immediately
 Water and land-use management in carbonate-
rock settings should always include appropriate
hydrogeologic mapping and analysis in
development of policies to protect groundwater
quantity and quality

The left jar

contains “brown
water”
contaminated by
manure. Both
samples are from
the same well.
WisDOT District 5 Shallow Karst Potential (Dolomite Bedrock)

Shallow Karst
Potential
(<5 ft bgs)

Deeper Karst
Potential

USH

N
Interstate

State
Not to Scale Highways

WisDOT, Pearson, 2001

Suspect Karst (Sinkholes)
WisDOT TD5 Project 1646-07-01
US 14/61 Westby-Viroqua Bypass Corridor Study
Vernon County, Wisconsin

potential
sinkholes
(not to scale)

1 mile
modified TD5 Planning
WisDOT, Pearson, 3/24/00 Map 10/1999
Vernon
County
Wisconsin

Sinkholes
noted during
1834 Land
Survey for
Western
Territory

4th Principal
Meridian
Wisconsin

Alfred L. Brown
Deputy
Surveyor
10/17-24/1846
Plat Copied
in 1851