Sinkhole risk in La Crosse County, WI: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 22%
At or near the surface: 22%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

Check the parcel against your state survey sinkhole map, and ask for an inspection if cracks, depressions or sticking doors show up.

That works out to roughly 98 of La Crosse County's 452 square miles on soluble rock, 98 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 121,060 residents (268 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 298 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around La Crosse County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Vernon County, WI, about 26 miles southeast, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Monroe County, WI 25 mi east · 16% at surface
Houston County, MN 26 mi southwest · 28% at surface
Vernon County, WI 26 mi southeast · 63% at surface
Trempealeau County, WI 30 mi northwest · 5% at surface
Jackson County, WI 33 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Winona County, MN 33 mi west · 27% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Prairie du Chien Group (shale), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 22% of the county.

Against the rest of Wisconsin

La Crosse County ranks 11 of 72 in Wisconsin for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 75% of US counties on that measure.