I thought that NBC did a bit of a disservice the other day in their sink hole coverage.
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They explained how sinkholes can be created when water filters through limestone. They also explained that sinkholes can occur in droughts or in periods of high rain, but they didn't really get into the man made causes.
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Saturated limestone, full of ground water, maintains a balance of pressure, so the land is generally stable. If the water is removed (say during a drought), and then there is rainfall, the new water percolating through the limestone can wear it away.
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But in Florida, why has all the limestone suddenly become dry and susceptible to erosion? Drought?
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No. While there have been a few dry years, it isn't drought as we normally think of it. The great majority of he groundwater has been removed by wells and human use.
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Does that mean we have to stop using water and turn land back to forests? No. But it does mean we need to be more careful about wasting water. Using less water will slow down the growth of sinkholes.
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It is a case of the public good, versus private rights. For example, a developer may have the right to develop homes and golf courses, but doing so dangerously reduces the groundwater level. The resultant sinkhole might not be on his property, or even close. So he doesn't feel the effect of his actions.
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You will notice, if you look at a map of where they are occurring, a huge preponderance of them in central Florida / Orlando / Tampa. A region that has experienced runaway development since 1980.
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I don't have an answer, but we do need to face the real question. Not some "ohh, is this magic" or "why is this happening to us" nincompoopery.
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