From: marlatt@spot.Colorado.EDU (Stuart W. Marlatt)
Subject: Re: Long-term cave exploration - waste disposal?
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 20:22:26 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.205106.3779@tamsun.tamu.edu> you write:
>S.W. Marlatt writes:
>>I belive some of the urine is allowed to be 
>>dumped in the cave, in selected areas. This is becoming fairly
>>routine in many large caves (e.g. Wind, Jewel, Lech, Carlsbad, etc.),
>>as a natural outgrowth of the increasing numbers of people caving
>>these days. (If you don't cave, don't start! It's really nothing to
>>get excited about.) 
>
>  I have worked at all three parks mentioned: Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, and
>Carlsbad, and none of them allow any type of human waste dumping in any 
>part of the cave.  ALL human waste is carried out.  Apparently, it was 
>once a practice to leave human waste in Lechuguilla (urine in a bucket),
>with the thought that the urine would evaporate.  From what I have heard,
>the urine has not evaporated, and one of the base camps stinks to 
>"high heaven".
>  The Park Service has closed Lechuguilla Cave temporarily to exploration 
>while such resource management issues are examined.  
>
>-Alan Glennon
>

Alan,
	Thanks for the clarification. I have not had time to be involved
in any of the Lech work (I was originally supposed to be on the climbing
trip that foudn Cap't Hooks Ladder and the way south from the rift) - my 
understanding of the urine disposal was from various people who have 
done considerable work there prior to the LCP meltdown (Donald Davis, 
Paul Burger, Gary Petrie, etc.) I have done considerable work there 
prior to the LCP meltdown (Donald Davis, Paul Burger, Gary Petrie, etc.) 
I have done some work with the Colorado Grotto at Wind Cave and understand 
that no such dumping is allowed there or in Jewel.
	Your editing of my posting makes it sound like the increase in
caving pressure is making urine dumping increasingly routine. That is
not what I meant, and I'm sure you did not intend to twist my meaning.
I meant that carrying out urine and feces is becoming more common due
to the increasing numbers of cavers. It will become more necessary
outside of caving as well, in backcountry situations.
	One final point. The current closure of Lechuguilla is not
really due to the Park Service evaluating management issues such as
waste removal. It _is_ almost entirely a result of large egos and
political feuding by the directors of the Lechuguilla Cave Project.


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And bats with baby faces in the violet light                              
Whistled, and beat their wings                                            
And crawled head downward down a blackened wall                           
  --T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land                                            
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s.w. marlatt, <><  &  *(:-)               Prov. 25.2
University of Colorado:                   marlatt@spot.Colorado.edu  492-3939
National Center for Atmospheric Research: marlatt@neit.cgd.ucar.edu  497-1669
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