PROJECT REPORT

Colorado Bend State Park Project

Project Date: 9-13-97

Reported by: Terry Holsinger

Person-hours: 17

Personnel: (5) Terry Holsinger, Dale Barnard, Sara Dierk, Randy Brown, Christe Rogers

Everyone headed to the River office, where the MOU for the 97-98 season was signed. A list of Trip Leaders, for this season, was also left at the office.

We then went to show Christie, who is doing a Geology Thesis on the Spring-Falls area, to see Gorman Falls Cave. This was her first trip down to the "Falls" area.

We then headed down to the base of the falls to see where the Gorman Falls Cave stream exits into the river. A discussion of dye tracing from the cave was thought to be "fun" but of limited value to her thesis.

Further discussion of the other springs in the area and their relationship to the river level continued as we went tooth trucks and then left before a tour could show up. At the Trail head for the Lively trail Terry and Sara left for Austin, while Dale, Randy, and Christie headed to Be Excellent to do some survey.

Terry and Sara stopped to check on Big and Little Bad Air Holes, to see if they were full of water as they had been all of the other times they had been visited. They were empty and Big Bad Air Hole had a raccoon in it . The coon retreated into the cave when it noticed us outside. They then left for Austin.

Randy, Dale, And Christie entered Be Excellent and headed back to the end of the survey to see if the sump was any lower after the summer. The sump level had not changed and they noted that the air quality was "poor".

The sump appears to be a perched pool, and probably will never lower except in a drought. The sump is still higher then the steam in Gorman Creek Crevice, both the sump and the stream would make good dye injection points to show that they feed Gorman Spring.

Hours working at park (total) 17 hours.