2014/07/30

sinkhole

On 19 July 2014, we received 2.45" of rain. The next day I noticed a brand-new hole at the corner of my yard.

The walking stick across the hole is 5 feet long.
At first the hole was maybe 3'x5' at the surface, though larger below the sod, and maybe 18" to 2' deep. It is located where a culvert brings a small creek under the road and down the hill next to my yard.

Subsequent heavy rains have increased the size to 5'x5', and about 4' deep. Sod, soil and rocks continue to fall from the sides into the deepening hole with every rainfall. A large boulder that had been close to the surface in the center of the hole has since fallen much deeper.

The first thing I did after noticing the hole was call my brother. He used to work in the erosion and drainage department in our county. He passed the information on to somebody in that department, who said that it is a state issue (it is a state highway) and gave a contact name and number.

I then told my landlord, who contacted the state. They told him that someone would be out to check on it.

I haven't seen anybody yet, and it's been 11 days. Of course someone could have come while I was sleeping or hiking.

[Ed. note: Not a minute after I posted the above blog entry, the highway department came by and put up a cone. They said that they would be back this evening to fix the hole.]

[Ed. note #2, two hours later : A highway department truck pulling a small backhoe on a trailer just went by. They turned around and came back, so they could park close to the sinkhole. And so the repairs begin. I just went out and talked to the backhoe operator; he's waiting on a load of rock. I guess they are just going to fill the hole with rocks.]

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