The objective of this project was to delineate the surface and groundwater catchments that contribute flow to the Sinking Spring, a prominent karst window, which is one of the Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site's most significant cultural and natural features. A GIS was created to inventory landuse and allow analyses to offer recommendations to reduce groundwater problems (ie. flooding, storm drain blowouts, water contamination) within the Sinking Spring catchment basin. Base maps of the research area were created using ArcView GIS. Digital themes for land use, property lines, streets, soils, caves, geology, and aerial photography were completed. A high resolution digital elevation model of the land surface was also created for the project. Hoffman Institute personnel directed the creation of a one-foot contour interval map over the 8-acre study area, and a five-foot contour interval map for the surrounding one-square-mile region. The resulting high-resolution map, along with the mapping of several area caves, and a series of dye traces, allowed us to make comments on the groundwater threats, as well as, the behavior of the Sinking Spring. The primary GIS is complete. The Hoffman Institute is continuing to study the spring with the next phase of research focusing on the spring's hydrochemical behavior and storm response.

GIS Team: Rhonda Pfaff, Shane Fryer, Jeff Timmons, Jonathon Schwer, Bill Curry, and Alan Glennon