Bellechester, Minnesota, USA, lagoon collapses

Alexander, E. Calvin; Broberg, J. S.; Kehren, A. R.; Graziani, M. M.; Turri, W. L.

doi:10.1007/bf00767509

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…coincides with the water table position (Tipping et al, 2001). Finally, that the four sinkhole collapses in WWTF lagoons were constructed where this zone is the uppermost bedrock (Alexander and Book, 1984;Jannik et al, 1992;Alexander et al, 1993) further emphasizes the geoengineering and environmental management importance of this zone in SE Minnesota.…”

Section: Paleozoic Karst Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three of the approximately twenty-three municipal wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) lagoons constructed in the 1970s and 1980s in southeastern Minnesota's karst region have catastrophically failed through sinkhole collapse (Alexander and Book, 1984;Jannik et al, 1992;Alexander et al, 1993). These lagoons are non-mechanical systems that rely on sunlight, air and microbes to treat the wastewater.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deep Time Origins of Sinkhole Collapse Failures in Sewage Lagoons in Southeast Minnesota

Alexander¹,

Runkel²,

Tipping³

et al. 2013

Full Proceedings of the Thirteenth Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of K

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1850s and 1930s filled many of the conduit systems with soil. Over eighty years of soil conservation efforts have significantly reduced the flux of mobilized soil into the conduits. Those conduits are currently flushing much of those stored soils out of their spring outlets. Finally, the increased frequency and intensity of major storm events is reactivating conduit segments that have been clogged and inactive for millions of years. The karst solution voids into which the lagoons collapsed have formed over 480 million years. The recognition and mapping of this major karst zone will allow much more accurate karst hazard maps to be constructed and used in sustainable resource management decisions.

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Section: Paleozoic Karst Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep Time Origins of Sinkhole Collapse Failures in Sewage Lagoons in Southeast Minnesota

Alexander¹,

Runkel²,

Tipping³

et al. 2013

Full Proceedings of the Thirteenth Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of K

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“…Three of 23 municipal waste water treatment facility (WWTF) lagoons constructed 30 to 40 years ago in Minnesota's carbonate karst have failed by catastrophic sinkhole development (Alexander and Book, 1984;Jannik et al, 1992;Alexander et al, 1993). When Shade (2002) documented active karst developed on the Hinckley Sandstone in central Pine County, Minnesota (Figure 1), her work alerted resource managers to ground water concerns in this previously unrecognised karst.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dye Tracing Sewage Lagoon Discharge in a Sandstone Karst, Askov, Minnesota

Alexander¹,

Alexander²,

Piegat³

et al. 2005

Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst

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An investigation of the sandstone karst at Askov, Pine County, Minnesota was conducted utilizing fluorescent dye tracing techniques. Connections were documented between the effluent from WWTF lagoons discharged into a sinking stream and local residential water supply wells southwest of the stream sink, over kilometer-scale distances. The apparent velocity of dye from the steam sink to the residential well was 57 m/day, much faster than would be expected for porous-media flow in a sandstone but slower than expected for well-developed conduit karst in carbonate rock. The traces also document stage-dependent, divergent flow to the northeast and west from recharge to a sinkhole adjacent to the lagoons. A well-developed conduit system extends a few hundred meters under the northern portion of the lagoons with flow velocities greater than 128 m/day to the northeast. A slower flow system extends for at least a kilometer to the west and northwest with a range of apparent flow velocities that average about 9 m/day. The slower flow system reached a broad "fan" of residential wells to the west but was not detected in other wells in the same direction.

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Karren and Sinkholes

2022

Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology and Caves

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Bellechester, Minnesota, USA, lagoon collapses

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

Deep Time Origins of Sinkhole Collapse Failures in Sewage Lagoons in Southeast Minnesota

Deep Time Origins of Sinkhole Collapse Failures in Sewage Lagoons in Southeast Minnesota

Dye Tracing Sewage Lagoon Discharge in a Sandstone Karst, Askov, Minnesota

Karren and Sinkholes

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