Determining water infiltration routes from structures located above Carlsbad Cavern, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, New Mexico : Final Report
van der Heijde PK, Kolm KE, Dawson H, Brooke M. 1997. Determining water infiltration routes from structures located above Carlsbad Cavern, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, New Mexico : Final Report. IGWMC - GWMI 97-01. Colorado School of Mines, International Ground Water Modeling Center. Golden, CO
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (CCNP), located in the southeastern corner of New Mexico, contains numerous caves that have formed in the underlying fractured limestones, including a visitors accessible cave system, called Carlsbad Cavern. To support and manage the increasing number of visitors, the National Park Service has created over the years an extensive infrastructure with facilities both above ground and underground. The impact on the caves of the resulting anthropogenic activity in and around these facilities has become a concern to Park management. The focus of this project was to determine the potential impacts of man-made structures and human activities at the land surface on Carlsbad Cavern. Specifically, the study aimed at determining the cave areas most vulnerable to contamination from the land surface through hydrologic pathways, and if impacts from these anthropogenic influences on the hydrology and water quality of the cave system are currently present.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- van der Heijde, Paul; Kolm, Kenneth; Dawson, Helen; Brooke, Mark
- Date of Issue
- 1997-01
- Publisher
- Colorado School of Mines, International Ground Water Modeling Center
- Units
- CAVE , WRD
- Keywords
- Aluminum, cave geometry, cavern layout, cavern lineament, Clemson, Distribution, drips, geo-stratigraphic, Hydrochemistry, hydrogeologic cross-sections, hydrologic domains, hydrologic systems analysis, infiltration type, joint surface and subsurface data, Nitrates (NO3), organic carbon, pathways, Pools, potential contamination, Precipitation, Sampling, Surface Water, Topography, Water Quality, wet fractures, WRBIB, Zinc (Zn)