Mapping Groundwater from Roadway to Cave
Project Location:
Austin, Texas
Year Completed:
2016
Project Partners:
City of Austin
Blanton & Associates
Project Type:
Transportation / Roadway
Deer Lane Groundwater Tracing Study
Project Overview
Zara conducted a groundwater study supporting proposed roadway improvements along Deer Lane in south Austin. The project was located within the groundwater catchment of Balcones Canyonlands Preserve permit caves containing species of concern, requiring an understanding of how roadway runoff or hazardous material spills could potentially affect nearby caves, cave fauna, and groundwater resources.
Zara designed and managed multiple groundwater tracer tests using environmentally safe fluorescent dyes and non-toxic chemical tracers to simulate potential contaminant transport from the proposed roadway. The study combined tracer testing with water quality monitoring, geochemical analysis, in-cave flow and physiochemical measurements, and cave fauna surveys to characterize groundwater movement between the roadway corridor and nearby protected cave resources.
Services Provided
Groundwater tracer test design and implementation
Fluorescent dye and chemical tracer studies
Background water quality monitoring and sampling
Groundwater geochemical analysis
Cave flow and physiochemical monitoring
Cave fauna surveys
Groundwater flow-path interpretation
Conservation and permitting support
Results & Project Impact
Tracer testing successfully identified groundwater flow pathways to multiple cave drips within Blowing Sink Cave, Maple Run Cave, and Goat Cave. Zara integrated tracer results with geochemical, water quality, and in-cave monitoring data to characterize potential connections between the proposed roadway improvements and sensitive groundwater and cave resources.
