Sinkhole risk in Washington County, VT: 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: 26%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 26%

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 177 of Washington County's 687 square miles on soluble rock. With about 59,844 residents (87 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 574 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 26% 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 322 miles southwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Orange County, VT 22 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Lamoille County, VT 23 mi north · 0% at surface
Chittenden County, VT 26 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Caledonia County, VT 28 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Addison County, VT 31 mi southwest · under 1% at surface
Orleans County, VT 42 mi northeast · under 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Waits River Formation (limestone), Devonian in age, covering about 26% of the county. Next is the Shaw Mountain Formation at under 1%.

Against the rest of Vermont

Washington County ranks 12 of 14 in Vermont for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.