The Science of Land Subsidence

Frank R. Spellman, PhD, is a retired assistant professor of environmental health at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, and the author of more than 160 books covering topics ranging from concentrated animal feeding operations to all areas of environmental science and occupational health. Many of his texts are readily available online, and several have been adopted for classroom use at major universities throughout the United States, Canada, China, Europe, and Russia; two have been translated into Spanish for South American markets. Dr. Spellman has been cited in more than 1150 publications. He serves as a professional expert witness for three law groups and as an incident/accident investigator for the US Department of Justice and a northern Virginia law firm. In addition, he consults on homeland security vulnerability assessments for critical infrastructures including water/wastewater facilities nationwide and conducts pre-Occupational Safety and Health Administration/Environmental Protection Agency audits throughout the country. Dr. Spellman receives frequent requests to co-author with well-recognized experts in several scientific fields; for example, he is a contributing author of the prestigious text The Engineering Handbook, 2nd ed. (CRC Press). Dr. Spellman lectures on sewage treatment, water treatment, and homeland security and safety topics throughout the country and teaches water/wastewater operator short courses at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia). He holds a BA in public administration, a BS in business management, an MBA, and an MS and PhD in environmental engineering.

SECTION I Identifying Land Subsidence 1. Introduction 2. About Soil 3. Soil Mechanics 4. Basic Water Hydraulics 5. Groundwater Hydraulics Q = kiA 6. Sinkholes 7. Organic Soil Subsidence SECTION II That Sinking Feeling 8. Arrested Subsidence 9. Human Alteration of the Earth’s Surface 10. Coastal Subsidence 11. Sinking in "The Meadows" 12. Subsidence & Fissures in South-Central Arizona 13. A Bolt from the Blue SECTION III Land Subsidence Mitigation 14. Yuck Factor Exaggerated: Fluence (Radiant Exposure) = Rate of UV Dose 15. Water Recharge 16. Advanced Water Purification