Swallow hole of blind valley near Salem Airport. - USFWS photo by Mike Litwin

A large sinkhole wetland near Salem Airport - USFWS photo by Mike Litwin

In November 2004, the Salem Board of Airport Commissioners submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bloomington Field Office an early coordination package for a proposed runway extension at the Salem Municipal Airport (Washington County, Indiana).   The USFWS advised the Commissioners' consultant that there were significant karst resources in the path of the proposed runway alignment, including several sinkhole wetlands and a large blind valley that drains to a cave containing the state-endangered northern cavefish.  

Subsequently, a thorough karst survey and wetland delineation were completed.  In July 2005, Bloomington Field Office staff met on-site with the Commissioners' representative and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, facilitated by the consultant.   After walking the proposed alignment the agency representatives explained the natural resource issues involved and discussed alternative alignments that could eliminate the major impacts. 

In October 2005 the consultant submitted a feasibility study for a revised runway alignment proposal.   Although it is impossible to entirely avoid karst impacts in the project area, the major impacts were eliminated and Bloomington Field Office concurred with the revised alignment, with several recommendations to further minimize impacts.