High water threatens Georgetown

The National Park Service says rangers are going door to door in Georgetown to advise business owners near the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park of a flood threat.

The agency said Monday it has closed the canal towpath from 34th Street NW to Rock Creek as a precaution.

Spokesman Bill Spinrad says Potomac River water is leaking into the canal from a partially failed inlet gate at Lock 5, several miles upstream from Georgetown.

He says officials are considering breaching the towpath to let water escape before it reaches the popular shopping and restaurant district in the event the inlet gate fails entirely.

Three straight days of rainy weather have caused flooding along the upper Potomac and prompted closures of other park facilities.

--Associated Press