Contact: Jim Dinger
The University of Kentucky's Robinson Forest contains some of the largest undisturbed tracts of land in eastern Kentucky. This setting provides a unique opportunity to monitor ground water to provide background conditions for water-quality investigations as well as valuable information about the hydrology of forested basins. Long-term water-level data are also important for determining the effects of climatic changes, such as extended periods of drought, on water levels throughout the state, as well as monitoring the extent of saltwater intrusion in shallow aquifers in the region.
Water levels are collected from seven wells in the main block of the forest. These wells are situated near other study sites where the UK Department of Forestry routinely collects hydrologic data. KGS will promote efforts to correlate our data sets with data sets of other interested parties, in order to facilitate comprehensive monitoring of water resources in the forest. This project is partially funded through the E.O. Robinson Trust at the University of Kentucky.