WKPP Wakulla Exploration, 4 May 07

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At Casey's request, forwarded from the WKPP team list:

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WKPP
In typical WKPP fashion the 2007 season has started off with a huge discovery in the Wakulla Springs Cave System. Picking up where we left off at the end of December, Jarrod and I pushed through 2,700ft of some of the smallest, restrictive passageway yet discovered in the Wakulla Springs system with scooters, safeties and drive bottles in tow while at the same time re-surveying the entire section of cave. Approaching EOL from 12/30, we dropped the safeties, switched to fresh drives and fresh scooters and tied in only to push through another 2,000ft of equally silty, small, twisting passageway with depths at each station averaging 285ft. Aside from a warped sense of sanity (a direct result of exploring this cave system for more than 17 years), the flow was there assuring us we were on the right track.

Around 12,000ft from the Wakulla Springs Basin, the cave begin to open up slowly; first 10x10 then 20x20 with swept clean floors and tube like features. At approximately 13,000ft we turned a corner bearing North-Northwest and the cave system blew wide open as the walls disappeared and the flow picked up. Floor depth was approximately 300ft and we followed the left wall as Jarrod finished the first of the Magnum reels we brought on the dive. I traded him another full Magnum reel for the empty one, clipped it off, noted the data at the station and waited for the shot as he headed off into the distance. I was already on my 3rd page of survey notes at that point with no sign this cave was about to let up. I was also in no rush to head back into the small stuff until it had at least 1-2 hours to blow clear. It was time to get to work as we headed into massive conduit bearing North, Northwest and East. Huge limestone features, swept floor, deep and identical in every way to the downstream Turner tunnel explored in June of 2006. This was the real deal after 17 years but how far until we hit the downstream line was the big question.

Disposing of the second reel was significantly easier compared to the first. Survey shots were averaging 200ft+ with one massive shot of 490ft. Following the left wall (reel in left hand) was the standard protocol but I kept looking right for another line in those spots where I could see the wall. We had a short discussion about possibly deploying a smaller #3 reel but felt we had pushed our luck already and it was not time to get greedy. She had been willing to give up enough for one day and the exit would be slow going. We would hit it next from the Turner side and quite possibly end decades of speculation not to mention accomplish one of the main goals of the WKPP.

The score:
6,270ft added
Distance from Wakulla – 16,000ft
Estimate to close the gap to EOL Turner - <5,000ft
Estimate to Turner Sink – 20,500ft
Estimate of traverse from Turner to Wakulla – 36,500ft

The profile:
400 minutes at 260ft average depth
Run Time – 1200 minutes

The team:
Setup to 6,500ft – Mark Garland and Jim Miller. Great to have Mark back in the water.

Safety re-stock – Scott Cox and Mark Messersmith

Surface – too many to name but the best team in the history of the project. Todd Leonard, Sonya Tittle, Hunter Swearingen and Dawn Kernagis kept the trains running on time and the guys took great care of the team and the equipment.

A complete report and details to follow at some point but with Turner scheduled for May 19 we have little time to enjoy the success. The conditions are perfect and the team is ready to connect these systems. You guys are the best.

Casey McKinlay
Project Director
Woodville Karst Plain Project

Thanks for the update!

tj

[aainslie]

Please thank Casey for letting us know how life goes in a system that he and his group won't give the rest of us access to. How very generous of him. Who knows - perhaps he'll actually grace us with his own eminent presence one day, and post himself.

[Bill Rotella]

Awesome, thanks for the update!

[true]

Andrew,

You are welcome to check out the team info page for details about how to get involved with the project:

http://gue.com/Expeditions/WKPP/Contacts/index.html

The team welcomes anyone who is willing to follow team procedures. We have seen about a quarter of the current participating team sign on over the last year-- it's always welcome to see new faces during an exploration weekend.

While the one team was pushing the link to Leon Sinks last weekend, a second team was assisting hydrogeologists working with the Florida DEP to conduct a dye trace study to link additional systems in the WKP. It's worth noting that the WKPP played a part in connecting both Tallahassee's wastewater treatment plant and surface water runoff to the springs throughout Leon and Wakulla counties. It is the hard work of hundreds of volunteers (the wkpp, the friends of Wakulla Springs, etc.) that are leading to direct changes to groundwater management to ensure the protection of all the springs in the area.

Best,

Anthony

[Kelly Jessop]

Andrew,

You are welcome to check out the team info page for details about how to get involved with the project:

http://gue.com/Expeditions/WKPP/Contacts/index.html

The team welcomes anyone who is willing to follow team procedures. We have seen about a quarter of the current participating team sign on over the last year-- it's always welcome to see new faces during an exploration weekend.

While the one team was pushing the link to Leon Sinks last weekend, a second team was assisting hydrogeologists working with the Florida DEP to conduct a dye trace study to link additional systems in the WKP. It's worth noting that the WKPP played a part in connecting both Tallahassee's wastewater treatment plant and surface water runoff to the springs throughout Leon and Wakulla counties. It is the hard work of hundreds of volunteers (the wkpp, the friends of Wakulla Springs, etc.) that are leading to direct changes to groundwater management to ensure the protection of all the springs in the area.

Best,

Anthony

Anthony
Thanks for the update. Was the dye trace done a repeat of the Ames sink dye trace?

[Mike]

Now Andrew play nice. (do I sound like your mother ?)

Sounds great if your DIR. ( not that there's anything wrong with that)

You certainly seem able to handle what they throw at you.

Give it a shot.

You get to dive Wakulla.

Mike M

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Anthony
Thanks for the update. Was the dye trace done a repeat of the Ames sink dye trace?

No, not exactly. The plan (as I understand it) was to introduce the dye at Lost Creek, but there's not enough water in the creek to make that possible. The Ames project was looking for traces along the Leon Sinks system and had final sampling stations at Indian, Wakulla, and Sally Ward. Last week's release at Turner is being monitored for at various sites between Wakulla and the gulf.

-anthony

[wingman]

Andrew,

You are welcome to check out the team info page for details about how to get involved with the project:

http://gue.com/Expeditions/WKPP/Contacts/index.html

The team welcomes anyone who is willing to follow team procedures. We have seen about a quarter of the current participating team sign on over the last year-- it's always welcome to see new faces during an exploration weekend.

Hi Anthony, Involvement seems to require gue cave 1 and gue cave 2. Is there any cross-validation possible for divers certified by other agencies? Bill

[true]

Hi Anthony, Involvement seems to require gue cave 1 and gue cave 2. Is there any cross-validation possible for divers certified by other agencies? Bill

Bill, I don't know the answer-- best to go to the web page I linked to above and shoot an email to one of the member coordinators listed on the site.

Best,

Anthony