Morning Call: March 30, 2004
The sinkhole that tried to swallow the seven-story Corporate Plaza
in downtown Allentown a decade ago captured the most national attention.
But a sinkhole two months ago affects 17,000 motorists a day who no
longer can travel on a Route 33 bridge over Bushkill Creek in Palmer
Township. The need for a single state agency to serve as a clearinghouse
for sinkholes is clear.
Pennsylvania sinkholes usually get a disjointed probe by various government
agencies, according to a story Sunday by Morning Call reporter Steve
Esack. In contrast, Florida's Department of Emergency Management catalogues
sinkhole reports and forwards the information to the appropriate agencies
for investigation.
The magnitude of Pennsylvania's sinkhole problem speaks to the need
for a more focused approach. Ninety sinkholes have opened in the cement
quarry region in and around the Bushkill and Schoeneck creeks since
1999. In fact, sinkholes occur naturally by the thousands in Northampton
County. The reasons are many and the geology complex. It's impossible
to determine which is more to blame for each event: nature or the actions
of people.
Sinkholes form in porous limestone -- most of the Lehigh Valley. Yet,
mining and development can contribute to the earth's instability. For
example, when a quarry or a mine deepens, it reaches groundwater. As
water is pumped out, it creates a funnel. The cone can drain groundwater
for miles around, undermining the earth until the surface collapses.
During a Feb. 5 public meeting, the state Department of Environmental
Protection, state Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of
Engineers pledged a joint effort. Yet, each is hamstrung by their respective
regulations. PennDOT can only use tax dollars to repair roads, bridges
and adjacent land within its rights of way. The Army Corps doesn't have
the authority to fix sinkholes, but is studying ways to line a particular
trouble spot, the Bushkill Creek bottom, with plastic.
Three major quarries have operated since the early 1900s in Upper and
Lower Nazareth townships. Company representatives met with DEP mining
inspectors in early March -- a show of cooperation. But it's pointless
to just blame quarries, considering the region's geology.
Neither Northampton County nor area municipalities can afford to handle
sinkholes of such magnitude. Fortunately, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter secured
federal funding for 90 percent of the $6 million replacement bridge
cost. However, the unexpected depth for one of the new span's abutments
temporarily halted construction last week and could result in a revised
design and costs.
It's a headache of enormous proportions. Even worse, the region's geography
guarantees more sinkholes. The problem will never disappear -- just
the buildings or bridges above them. Pennsylvania is long overdue for
a statewide clearinghouse for sinkhole information. It would be an important
first step to better understanding of this costly and destructive phenomenon.
It also would enable better leadership for bringing together national,
state and local resources to deal with sinkholes -- leadership that
now is lacking.
