All rights reserved. Educator's Guide. Sinkhole Repair. Step 1 : Excavate the sinkhole down to rock if possible. Step 2 : Put a layer of large stones in the hole cabbage size. Step 3 : Put a layer of smaller stones on top fist size. They can occur within minutes and are usually triggered by an event like heavy rainfall or drought that quickly sweeps away material, allowing the sediment covering the void to collapse suddenly.
Property owners need to be especially vigilant if they live in an area prone to sinkholes. They should check frequently for small holes in the ground or cracks in a structure's foundation.
If you live in an area with soluble rock, check local and state geological surveys for more information about a specific area. If a sinkhole appears that is directly threatening a house or structure, get out immediately.
Report the problem to emergency personnel as well as to a building inspector, and wait for an inspection to find out if it is safe to return. If a sinkhole occurs in the middle of the road, contact local law enforcement agencies. The area should be cordoned off immediately. But, if the sinkhole is not impacting a house or other structure, and if it is a manageable size—1 to 3 feet in both diameter and depth—then it can be filled in.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has these recommendations for filling the hole :. Cover-subsidence sinkholes occur in areas where unconsolidated material such as sand covers limestone bedrock. When surface water penetrates the sand, it will gradually dissolve the limestone underneath and eventually leaving a void that will be filled with the sand from the top.
This inflow of sand can stop the outflow of water by blocking the fractures and passages that connect the sinkhole to underground water channels. As that water has nowhere to drain anymore, many of these sinkholes end up becoming ponds. Cover-subsidence sinkholes are usually just a few feet wide and deep. In addition to naturally-produced sinkholes, there can also be man-induced sinkholes.
Such sinkholes can be caused by old mines, leaky faucets, when sewers and waterlines crack and collapse, during groundwater pumping, drilling, and during construction [6]. If you are a property owner, it is important that you regularly check your landscape if you live in an area that is vulnerable to sinkholes.
If you are unsure whether or not you live in a sinkhole risk area, you can check with your local, territorial, or national government offices and geological surveys such as the United States Geological Survey USGS. However, it is not always easy to predict where a sinkhole event will occur. Scientists are currently working on developing effective methods to find underground cavities that might develop into sinkholes, including the use of radar, seismography, and electrical resistance.
Signs to watch out for in terms of sinkhole development include small holes in the ground, if a structure is found to have cracks in its foundation, slumping trees or fence posts, water collecting in areas where it has not previously collected, or the wilting of small circular areas of vegetation. These warning signs can potentially indicate if there is a sinkhole that is currently forming on your property. If you have discovered a sinkhole that is threatening a house or another structure, be sure to get out immediately to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.
Then, contact your local emergency personnel and a building inspector. If you discover a sinkhole in the middle of a road, be sure to contact local law enforcement right away. Insurance companies are much more likely to cover an evaluation and a repair if the sinkhole was naturally caused, such as by a subsidence event, rather than if it is caused by people, such as a collapsed or broken sewer pipe and drainpipe, broken septic tanks, buried trash, or improperly compacted soil following construction activities [1].
Typically, permits are not required to fill a sinkhole on private property check with your local authorities to be certain. If the sinkhole contains groundwater and thus, is connected to a local aquifer , a sinkhole fill permit will likely be required by the local Environmental Protection Authority or Water Management District to ensure that proper actions are taken to prevent groundwater contamination.
Before you put your hand on that shovel, you need to distinguish a do-it-yourself sinkhole fix from a more challenging problem, which only an expert can handle. If the sinkhole is not affecting a house or other structure, and has a reasonable size — 2 to 5 feet in both diameter and depth — then you can repair it yourself. After few days check the filled-in sinkhole.
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