Falling Spring Falls

by Greg Reed

Title

Falling Spring Falls

Artist

Greg Reed

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

Taken September 2010 at the Falling Spring Falls, Falling Spring Valley, WVA

Falling Spring Falls

Falling Spring Falls is a breathtaking 80' waterfall that is one of the most visited and photographed spots in the Alleghany Highlands. The scenic waterfall is located on Route 220 in Alleghany County, just five miles north of Covington, Virginia. The property has had extensive renovations to the overlook and grounds, including a picnic area, so that visitors can more safely stop and enjoy the view.

Thomas Jefferson described the Falling Spring Falls as a "remarkable cascade...falling over a rock about 200 feet to the valley below." One of the largest falls in Virginia, it cascades from an overhanging ledge, and is easily visible from the roadway.

Source: www.virginia.org/listings/outdoorsandsports/fallingspring/


The stream rises in Warm River Cave, located on private property about a mile away. The water at its source, a mixture of warm thermal spring water and cold ground water, is approximately 85 degrees Farenheit year round and is rich in carbonate. As the stream flows out of the cave, it releases carbon dioxide, causing the water to become superaturated with carbonate. When the stream spills over the ledge at Falling Spring Falls, even more carbon dioxide is released, and the carbonate precipitates and is deposited as a type of limestone called travertine. The beautiful, fragile terraces of travertine below the falls are visible from the overlook.

The lush greenery at the bottom of the falls is called a spray cliff community, a microhabitat that is hydrated by the spray generated by the waterfall. Spray cliff communities only occur on rock surfaces that are constantly wet. Few waterfalls in Virginia are both large and constantly flowing enough to sustain spray cliff communities, making the spray cliff community here a rare example of this delicate microhabitat. At least 14 different of bryophyte (moss) species thrive in the cliff walls behind and around the falls, and there may be up to 268 species at the falls.

Beginning in 1914, mining companies acquired the land and began mining the travertine. Although the waterfall was much higher in its original location, mining operations diverted the flow to its present location, where the falls drop approximately 80 feet. The mining companies also used the falls to generate hydroelectric power in order to run a plant to process the travertine and an electric railway to haul it away.

In 2004, the falls and the 19 acres of land around it were donated to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Today the falls are administered by Douthat State Park.

Source: www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC24JMP_falling-spring-falls-...

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July 13th, 2013

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