Whirlpool Cave, Travis County, Texas

May 2016

Gate Type: CUPOLA

This popular recreational cave is owned and managed by the Texas Cave Management Association. It gets approximately 1000 visitors per year. The entrance was originally just a small suckhole in the gravel of a normally dry streambed that formed a small whirlpool when flooded. Excavations resulted in a significant cave, which was soon stabilized with a concrete collar and secured with a flat steel plate door. This proved difficult and even dangerous to use for the numerous youth educational trips conducted each year. TCMA contracted with us to install an improved gate that would benefit the cave ecosystem. We were constrained by the existing concrete collar, but are very pleased with the results. All photos © Jim Kennedy.

Our work site at the entrance. Note the all-important shade!
Lydia is welding the columns to the anchor pins drilled directly into the concrete collar around the entrance.
The crew with the finished gate. The old plate steel gate is under the cooler behind Matt.