The usually placid C&O Canal in Georgetown swelled with water this afternoon, forcing the National Park Service to close off access to the towpath alongside it. A park service employee on the scene told us that the weekend’s heavy rains and a prolonged ice-melt had broken Lock #5 on the canal, located just north of the District-Maryland line, allowing a flood of water downstream. Water flow through the canal in Georgetown is kept to a minimum during the winter, she added. Tape was being put up at access points to the towpath to prevent pedestrians and cyclists from using it.

Update, 3 p.m.: The park service has warned buildings and businesses along the canal of the potential of further flooding, and is bringing in sandbags as a countermeasure. It indicated that threats of flooding may last until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. According to one park service employee we spoke to, only one half of Lock #5 has broken, and more significant flooding would occur if the second half also gave way.