Ground-water flow in karst aquifers is very different from flow in gra
nular or fractured aquifers. Karst ground-water flow is often turbulen
t within discrete conduits that are convergent in their upper reaches
and may be divergent in their very lower reaches, simulating the flow
pattern of surface water streams that are dendritic or trellised but w
ith discharge to one or more springs. Significant precipitation events
tend to flood karst aquifers quickly, causing a rapid rise in the pot
entiometric surface that may flood older, higher levels which discharg
e to a different set of springs. The epikarstic zone in karst terranes
stores and directs infiltrating water down discrete percolation point
s. Chemical contamination may be fed directly to a karst aquifer via o
verland flow to a sinkhole with little or no attenuation and may conta
minate down-gradient wells, springs, and sinkholes within a few hours
or a few days. Contaminants may also become temporarily stored in the
epikarstic zone for eventual release to the aquifer. Flood pulses may
flush the contaminants to cause transiently higher levels of contamina
tion in the aquifer and discharge points. The convergent nature of flo
w in karst aquifers may result in contaminants becoming concentrated i
n conduits. Once contaminants have reached the subsurface conduits, th
ey are likely to be rapidly transported to spring outlets. Traditional
aquifer remediation techniques for contaminated aquifers are less app
licable to karst aquifers.