Caryville, Tennessee Karst Groundwater Dye Tracing, Water Year 2024

Karst hydrologic systems are important resources in the state of Tennessee, both as drinking water resources and as centers for possible biological diversity. These systems are susceptible to contamination due to the inherent connectivity between surface water and groundwater systems in karst systems. A partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) was formed to investigate karst spring systems across the state utilizing fluorescent groundwater tracing, particularly in areas where these resources may be used as drinking water sources. In fall 2021, USGS and TDEC staff identified possible vulnerabilities or complexities that may exist within karst spring systems based upon maturity of karst development, underlying geology, and uncertainties related to estimated recharge areas. Based upon initial research, several study areas were selected and fieldwork started in March 2022. In Water Year 2024 (10/1/2023-9/30/2024) dye tracing was conducted in the communities of Caryville, Lafayette, Morristown, Mount Pleasant, and Vanleer. Collectively these communities span multiple physiographic regions including the Western and Eastern Highland Rim, and the Valley and Ridge Province. Each of these communities rely on karst groundwater as a drinking water source. Additionally, these are all areas where the hydrology has been significantly altered by karst processes and thus the groundwater pathways are complex and unpredictable. The city of Caryville is located in Campbell County, Tennessee near the base of Cumberland Mountain and Cross Mountain. The town is located near Cove Lake and the western end of Norris Lake. Geology in the Caryville area ranges in age from Upper and Middle Cambrian to Pennsylvanian age strata. Within the primary study area the strata is Lower to Middle Ordovician in age, consisting of the Lower Ordovician Chepultepec, Longview and Newala formations and the Middle Ordovician Chickamauga Limestones. Faulting is common in the Caryville area with thrusts faults located at or near the base of the Cumberland Mountain escarpment and tilted strata can be found throughout the study area as a result of this faulting. Much of the study area is intensely karstified and most surface drainage sinks underground via sinkholes and sinking streams. Surface streams are only present for short distances in the study area, though at the edges of the study area springs discharge into small tributaries to Cove Lake and Norris Lake. In Water Year 2024 a total of seven dye injections were conducted in the Caryville area over three rounds. A monitoring network of 38 sites was established where charcoal packets were deployed for dye detection. This data release contains shapefiles of dye injection locations, monitoring sites, and dye traces conducted in the Caryville area during the 2024 Water Year. All files were created in ArcGIS Pro and each shapefile contains associated attributes for the features contained within. Layer files are included with the datasets to match symbology found in figures in the accompanying report. All shapefiles and layers were created and modified in ArcGIS software. For a full description of the methods used to create these files, see Process Steps in the metadata file, "CR24_Metadata.xml". Data within each child item of this data release are named with a two-letter abbreviation unique for the community where the tracing occurred and the water year when the work was conducted (e.g. LF24). Abbreviations for the communities are as follows: CR = Caryville, LF = Lafayette, MR = Morristown, MP = Mount Pleasant, and VN = Vanleer.

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