Urbanization in a karst terrane, Springfield, Missouri, USA

Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, is the third largest city in Missouri and is located within the Springfield Plateau, a subregion of the Ozark Physiographic Region of the United States. This region is underlain by the Burlington-Keokuk Limestone, which is highly susceptible to solution and is host to more than 2500 sinkholes within Greene County. Springfield, as well as the surrounding communities, has been growing in recent years. Prime areas for development are scarce, thus, leaving more areas that are vulnerable to sinkholes targeted for development. Development next to, and sometimes within, a sinkhole has exacerbated flooding problems, caused structural damage to homes and businesses, and is prone to increasing pollution into the underlying shallow aquifer. Control of stormwater in and around sinkhole areas typically involved the use of several standard approaches: concrete-lined channels draining into sinkholes; installation of pipes into the sinkhole eye (swallow hole); filling of sinkholes; elaborate drain or pump systems to remove stormwater from one sinkhole and discharge into another basin or sinkhole; and enlargement of swallow holes by excavation to increase drainage capacity. In an effort to remedy these issues, the City of Springfield adopted a Sinkhole Ordinance around 1990, requiring a permit if a development will encroach upon a sinkhole, sinkhole drainage area, or impact a sinkhole area. This field trip will review examples of pre-ordinance and post-ordinance practices of development in and around sinkholes and sinkhole areas, view recent investigations within this karst area, and discuss approaches to matching geologic knowledge with urbanization in a karst area. © 2024 The Geological Society of America. All rights reserved.