Soapy suds fill Lost River Cave: is it harmful?
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-“You’ll see white foamy soap suds on the surface of the river,” said Lost River Cave Executive Director Rho Lansden.
Bubbles of soap in the water at Lost River Cave shut down tours last week.
The cave is now back open and ready for visitors. But as unnatural as the sudsy detergent is in the water, its presence is not uncommon
“Lost River Cave is in a 55 square mile watershed,” said Lansden.
All rainwater, and anything in it, will eventually flow to the cave because it’s the lowest point in the watershed.
“After a rain event you’re going to see a higher level of any pollutants that have impacted the roadway, the ground,” said Lansden.
Lost River Cave staff say they always take precautions. Anytime they see soap or another contaminant in the water they call local authorities.
“Right now we have not identified the direct source,” said Lansden.
The Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES) and local officials are currently working to identify that source. Bowling Green is connected by an underground karst system which allows them to track the flow of water as it moves through.
“It just has a pretty strong smell at times, so you obviously know there may be something. I think a lot of people don’t look at it in a way and don’t really recognize it as something problematic at first, I think other people may see it as something like in lakes and rivers, how there’s organics that look kind of foamy,” said CHNGES Director Dr. Jason Polk.
They do have a challenge in their investigation. There are no regulations at the state or federal level on groundwater.
Right now, it is not threatening to vegetation or aquatic life, but they are hoping to identify and stop the source now before it does get more harmful
“This is our drinking water, it’s groundwater. All water that we drink is in the underlying karst and comes from the underlying karst. So it is important that we keep an eye on the water that we all drink and that we all depend upon,” said Lansden.
