Sinkhole risk in Sagadahoc County, ME: Mostly deep or small

Mostly deep or small

Some soluble rock, mostly deeply buried or in a small share of the county.

On soluble rock: 2%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 2%

The next step for one property

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 4 of Sagadahoc County's 254 square miles on soluble rock. With about 37,582 residents (148 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 539 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Sagadahoc County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 420 miles southwest. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Lincoln County, ME 17 mi east · 1% at surface
Androscoggin County, ME 25 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Cumberland County, ME 25 mi west · 0% at surface
Kennebec County, ME 35 mi north · 0% at surface
Knox County, ME 41 mi east · under 1% at surface
Waldo County, ME 53 mi northeast · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Ordovician - Precambrian Z Cushing Formation limestone (limestone), Ordovician - Precambrian Z in age, covering about 2% of the county.

Against the rest of Maine

Sagadahoc County ranks 12 of 16 in Maine for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.