Karst Topography & The West Plains Sewage Lagoon Disaster of 1978

Karst Topography and the West Plains Sewage Lagoon Disaster of 1978 will be the focus of a public presentation on October 19, 2023, 1:20 p.m. at the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) inside Garnett Library on the MSU-WP campus, 304 W. Trish Knight in West Plains.  The program will be presented by Project Lead The Way (PLTW) biomedical course students from instructor Nathan Fleming’s class.

Students presenting include Kayci Allcorn, Roxanne Clinton, Camille Coleman, Baseba Gerezgehir, Carson King, Alexis Magnuson, and Tara Sargent.

The presentation will be focused on the disaster of 1978, when the sewage lagoon collapsed. Researcher Denise Vaughn wrote: “The event reinforced lessons about building infrastructure in regions known to be vulnerable to sinkhole formation. The geologic term for the local terrain is ‘karst’, which is characterized not only by sinkholes, but also by caves, springs, and losing streams. The ground in karst areas can be susceptible to collapse, and the groundwater below is vulnerable to contamination from the surface. In West Plains, a natural earth process was triggered by land development.”

Students read an article on this event by Denise Henderson Vaughn, who also presented to the class, and they were inspired to create a public presentation of their work. The article is available at Karstintheozarks.org

People will be able to share their stories and the students will share what they know about the disaster and karst topography. There will also be a tour of OHRC. The public is invited to this intriguing program featuring local talent and stories. Refreshments will be served.

Questions about the program should be directed to  info@westplainsarts.org or phone 417-293-2325. The program is co-sponsored by Arts Alliance members West Plains Council on the Arts and MSU-WP’s Ozarks Heritage Research Center.