DELAWARE — Chances are, most Delaware County social media users saw an 8-second clip of water rushing through the Olentangy Caverns on May 27 after about four inches of Memorial Day weekend rain.
The entire popular tourist spot, which includes a petting zoo, miniature golf course and other activities, closed May 27 but reopened the following day.
People flooded the comment sections from both the 1.4 million-view Instagram reel and the 916,000-view Facebook video with questions like, does this happen often?
Or, “Can we pay to run whitewater kayaks down it?”
Delaware Source submitted questions to the email address listed on the Olentangy Caverns website. The response did not identify the author. After a follow-up phone call seeking attribution, the business declined to provide a specific name.
The anonymous Caverns spokesperson said rain runoff caused the recent flood, and has in the past.
“Typical rain showers seep through the ground, making the cave damp but not flooded,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s only when we get non-stop rain for a long duration that the cave has rushing water like in the video.”
However, the level of flooding shown in the video doesn’t happen often, and entire-day closures aren’t common, either.
“Usually once a season, we get enough rain in a short period of time that the cave closes for a few hours,” the spokesperson said. “Typically, we’re open by noon.
“The amount of flooding seen in the video is less common (maybe once every few years).”
Is there any future flood prevention?
Like many caverns, a rain-fed underground river formed the Olentangy Caverns millions of years ago, and natural formations are mostly beyond human intervention.
The spokesperson said there isn’t much that staff can do to prevent the issue, but there is some work to be done after a flood.
“The rain has to go somewhere. Because of this, the cave has a cement floor that has drainage tile,” they said.
“Regular rainfall most often flows under the floor, and customers won’t even notice.”
However, when flooding becomes that severe, the water leaves behind mud and debris in its wake.
“The rain does bring in mud and debris, so we go down with buckets and shovels, remove the mud, and ensure it’s safe for visitors,” the spokesperson said.
So long as enough rain doesn’t bring the ancient river that formed the caverns back to life, visitors and staff members alike won’t have to worry about the scenarios mentioned by other commenters.
“Hear me out…” one wrote. “Pool party in a cave…”
The photos from the May 27 flood below are courtesy of the Olentangy Caverns.
