Sinkhole could be contaminated

HIGH SPRINGS – A sinkhole located in the James Paul Park behind High Springs City Hall could be contaminated.

City Manager Ed Booth said the main culprits are arsenic and benzene, but an assortment of other pollutants was also found in lower amounts.

Two dry soil samples were taken on Dec. 5 last year and analyzed for 40 possible contaminants by Advanced Environmental Laboratories, Inc., a Gainesville firm. The analysis cost $1,022, said AEL project manager Beth Elton.

While the area around the outside of the sinkhole and along the sides have been the locations of many events in High Springs over the past few years, including the Music in the Park series, it is only the very bottom of the hole that was found to be contaminated, Booth said.

The contaminated soil is thought to be the result of water runoff from the surrounding roadways. Booth initially contacted the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) office for this district about a year ago to ask them to perform tests. Booth said he realized the agency would not address the issue immediately, and the city could not afford the expense at the time, so he took several soil samples and sent them to the University of Florida at no cost to the city.

The university tested for nitrates and some other pollutants, but not the wide assortment that was tested for this time, Booth said. The tests showed there were no problems at the time, he said. A year later, the FDOT had still not done the requested tests, prompting Booth to take more samples to send to AEL.

He spoke with FDOT engineer Greg Evans a year ago. Evans said at the time that if contaminants were found, his recommendation would be to install a rain garden and fence off the area to prevent people from accidentally walking through the contaminated area. He advised Booth not to disturb the soil.

Rain gardens are designed to capture the flow of storm water and prevent pollutants from gathering and flowing directly into waterways through the ground. Native plants are sometimes used because they can tolerate both wet and dry soil. Plants can act as filters for contaminants, by changing them into harmless substances before the water reaches the aquifer.

While AEL’s recent test results have not been forwarded to the local FDOT’s district office in Lake City, they soon will be, Booth said. He will also request for the FDOT to pay for the rain garden and fencing, along with a barrier to be placed on the pipe funneling water from the roadways into the sinkhole.

FDOT public information officer Gina Busscher said that when the report finds its way to her office, it will be forwarded to their geotechnical engineers for analysis and recommendations.

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