What impact will the proposed tunnels have on the lakes or watersheds within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area?
A19: The geotechnical report being prepared by the consulting firm of Shannon and Wilson will be part of the conceptual proposal we will submit to the National Science Foundation. This geotechnical report is the first step of a continuing study to characterize the rock near the proposed tunnels and to understand the region’s hydrology. The expectation of favorable hydrology is one of the main reasons for selecting Cashmere Mountain. Cashmere Mountain rock is granitic. The porosity and permeability — the ability for water to pass through rock – is generally low in granite, compared to other types of rock. Moreover, it often becomes even lower at greater depth, as a result of the increased pressure closing pores and reducing the width and number of fractures and joints. Most important, the fractures and joints in the rock at depth tend to become discontinuous and disconnected. This means that there is a limited volume of rock near the tunnel that is connected hydraulically to the tunnel
