Sinkhole risk in Washington County, NY: 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
- 10%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 10%
What to do about a house in Washington County
Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.
That works out to roughly 86 of Washington County's 831 square miles on soluble rock. With about 59,839 residents (72 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 282 map points about 1.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: why the 10% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.
Counties around Washington County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 246 miles southwest. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.
- Bennington County, VT 25 mi southeast · 0% at surface
- Saratoga County, NY 25 mi southwest · under 1% at surface
- Warren County, NY 26 mi northwest · 0% at surface
- Rutland County, VT 28 mi northeast · under 1% at surface
- Rensselaer County, NY 42 mi south · 0% at surface
- Windham County, VT 42 mi southeast · 0% at surface
What Washington County is built on
The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Beekmantown Group (dolostone (dolomite)), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 3% of the county. Next is the Beekmantown Group (in part) at 3%.
Against the rest of New York
Washington County ranks 58 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- New York County under 1%
- St. Lawrence County under 1%
- Saratoga County under 1%
- Cayuga County under 1%
- Clinton County under 1%