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Trouble From Above
Living in the basement comes with some problems, of course. Bad stuff flows downhill. Chemicals from leaking sewage tanks, agricultural pollution and industrial waste can find their way into caves, wreaking havoc with the rare life forms there.
A major threat to Lechuguilla, for instance, is proposed gas and oil drilling on nearby federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Gas or fluids from such mining could potentially leak into the cave's many passages and poison cave life or even cause explosions, according to the National Park Service at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Cave pollution is also hazardous for humans who rely on water from caves. The Maya are said to have gathered drinking water almost entirely from cave sources. In Tennessee, Roebuck remembers the case of a family that for at least three generations had been getting their water from a cave. They called on Roebuck for help in finding the cause of a strange foam found on the cave water. The suspected cause was soap from a leaking septic tank.
"We're like Swiss cheese," said Roebuck, describing the underground nature of Tennessee. To make clearer to residents and decision makers how easily water from the surface can contaminate caves and waters used far and wide, "I usually take a sponge with me ... the water goes right through it," she said.
More troubling, however, is vandalism. Volunteers like Roebuck and her husband spend a great deal of their time carefully brushing away spray paint and picking up garbage and other debris deliberately left by humans in caves. They also work with many fellow cavers to clean up sinkholes — places where even some city governments once thought it was OK to fill with any sort of waste. Unfortunately, sinkholes are the worst place to dump because they are often the gateways to cave systems.
Good News
It's not all bad news, however. More and more people are appreciating the importance of protecting caves for their own sake. Part of it might stem from the more general awareness of groundwater issues worldwide, says Roebuck.
"There seems to be more awareness about caves," said Roebuck. That includes people learning about the correct ways to explore caves — a pastime known as "caving." The National Speleological Society lists good caving practices on their Web site. The bottom line is, "Cave softly."
