DESCRIBING THE RESOURCES AND RISKS TO VISITOR SAFETY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CAVES AND KARST TOPOGRAPHY IN WASHINGTON COUNTY MD ALONG THE C AND O CANAL

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal) is located along the Potomac River in Maryland and Washington DC. It was established to preserve the canal and the lands adjacent to it. Twenty karst and mine caves are known to exist within the C&O Canal boundaries. All caves are located in Washington County, MD within limestone formations that were deposited between 450-550 MYA. In this area of western Maryland, the karst topography is a major source of groundwater that leaches into the Potomac River and the caves are a surficial link to these usually hidden karst features. The delicate karst systems could easily be damaged by curious visitors. Therefore, the caves and karst within the park need to be managed in order to protect the groundwater and other karst associated resources from vandalism and unintentional damage.

In the winter of 2015 and 2016, C&O Canal and the Geological Society of America sponsored a GeoCorps participant to draft a cave use standard operating procedure. In order to prioritize the caves by prevalence of natural resources, cultural resources, and safety issues, a cave risk factor matrix was adapted for the C&O Canal. Caves were given a score from 0-30 with higher numbers representing greater risk to resources and visitor safety. Descriptions of the resources and hazards were written up along with recommendations for future cave use in order to guide management of the caves and karst areas within the park. These recommendations are a first step to protecting the caves, karst features, and groundwater within the C&O Canal.