Cold Stream Spring House EarthCache
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Cold Stream Spring House
From the parking lot you will walk 0.4 miles to the historic water pumping station of Cold Stream Farm. It was restored to its original condition when it housed a gushing natural spring. Not only did the spring supply water for the entire Cold Stream farm in times of drought, teams of horses from miles around would haul away tanks and barrels of water all day and all night.
TASKS: email or message me the answers to the following tasks/questions to demonstrate your understanding of the Cane Run Watershed Project. Please DO NOT include your answers in your online log.
1. Make your way down to the stream to the site #1 (N38° 6.081 W084° 29.499) . Feel the temperature of the water. Then make your way to site #2 (N38° 6.093 W084° 29.514). Feel the temperature. Compared to Site #1, is the water colder or warmer at Site #2?
2. Based on the surround area, is the spring fractured-based, perched-based, or fault-based?
3. Based on the amount of stream water at Site #2 vs. Site #1, is the stream perennial, intermittent, or periodical?
4. While at Site#2, what is the water level on the stream gage?
5. OPTIONAL: Take a picture of you (and your group) with the springhouse in the background.
FAYETTE COUNTY SPRINGS
Fayette County springs are located in one of three topographic or geological settings: along large stream banks, on shaly outcrops, or at the intersection of a valley or fault zone.
When fractures and bedding planes in limestone are completely filled with water, ground water flow forces water to the surface along the banks of large streams. Water is usually forced to the surface by an underlying impermeable shale layer, but not always.
Shallow, perched ground water zones exist in the upper elevations of ridges where seasonal and perrenial springs are common at mid slope. Shale sublayers act as a barrier to deeper migration of water. During extreme drought periods spring flow may stop.
Springs may occur in fault zones when the fault crosses a hill at an intersecting valley. Other springs along fault zones occur when the a moved bedrock block acts as a barrier to groundwater flow. Forcing water to the surface.
UNDERLYING GEOLOGY
There are over 350 documented springs in Fayette County and many that are not documented. Fayette County springs include thoses discharging from karst conduits, soil seeps, or wet-weather springs, and springs discharging from fractures created by faults. The springs vary from seasonal seeps to perennial springs. Many springs are threatened by rapid urban development.
Lexington Limestone is the major rock unit exposed in the Inner Bluegrass region of east-central Kentucky surrounding Lexington. The limestone in the Cold Spring area is evenly bedded, impermeable rock. Loccally, water if fast drainage through fractures and solution channels are common. This results in a leaky rock reservior when conditions are favorable.
Cold Spring is a tributary of Cane Run Stream which lies in the Royal Spring aquifer proection area. Cane run and its tributaries have few springs along their stream channel because the groundwater is flowing deep below to a larger stream such as Elkhorn Creek. Because of the highly fractures Lexington limestone in the area, Cane Run is dry most of the year.
FACTORS AFFECTING SPRING FLOW
The amount of water that flows from springs depends on many factors, including the size of the crevices or caverns within the rocks, the water pressure in the aquifer, the size of the spring basin, and the amount of rainfall. If the groundwater is under sufficient pressure, the spring (or a well) might shoot water into the air-artesian well or spring.
Human activities also can influence the volume of water that discharges from a spring—groundwater withdrawals in an area can reduce the amount of water and the pressure in an aquifer, causing water levels in the aquifer system to drop and ultimately decreasing the flow from the spring.
Water flowing into and out of a spring depend largely upon the local climate. PERENNIAL springs flow during all seasons. INTERMITTENT springs alternately flow and stop. PERIODICAL springs depend on the prevailing characteristics of the seasons.
This Geocache was approved by Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Parks, code CP16e.
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