sinkhole in backyard

Roy
by Roy
We had a sinkhole develop a few years ago, and with all the rain we have been getting, now have another much larger hole. as you may see from the photos, it is about 25 feet long and 10 to 12 inches deep at its deepest point. Who can I call to get this fixed and to prevent it from happening again? just beyond the end of the uphill point is a swing set/fort that my kids play on.
this is the near the start of the depression that I call a sinkhole.
another shot, of the middle
this is from the down hill end looking uphill.
  9 answers
  • Roy, where are you located? There are lots of reasons for sink holes. Some natural as found in Florida and some man made that are caused by developers burying tree trunks and debris that has been deteriorated over time creating the void in the ground. Tell us a bit more about the yard, age sense it was developed? Other issues with trees perhaps falling on occasion? Ideally a soils engineer should evaluate this condition, but knowing a bit more about area in which you live will help a lot in giving you some idea of what might be happening. Have you had a lot of rain? is there any water such as streams nearby? Is the ground always wet or is it normally pretty dry? Was there a underground pool located there? What about a old septic system that was not properly abandoned? Also an old oil tank that is buried can rust out and collapse. The square shape can be an indication of issues such as this.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Feb 21, 2013
    We had a big crack then a deep dip occur in our driveway after about 15 years. It turns out the construction debris had been buried under the concrete pour! Boy was I angry. Hubby got some help and busted out the old concrete, dug out the mess, added dirt and filled with concrete. It was a very hard job. Some 20 years later we replaced the driveway...the entire thing was plagued with problems!
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Feb 21, 2013
    Jeanette is on the right track to fix the problem IF it is debris, but as @Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com points out a little investigative research might be in order before you begin.
  • Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls on Feb 21, 2013
    I would do a little exploratory digging and see if you can find what the problem is. We have dug down 4' to find a burried pipe that was leftover material from the builder and was filling little by little. This is one of many examples of things we have found burried causing similar sink holes. Let us know what you find Roy.
  • Roy Roy on Feb 21, 2013
    Hi all, thanks for your responses. We are in Braselton, Ga. northeast of Atlanta. The house is 12 years old. The sub division was a wooded area that they mowed the trees down, brought in the fill dirt etc...I have not located the exact spot for the septic tank, but the first hole I mentioned is about 5 feet closer to the house running in the same direction. I will try to do the dig and see what I come up with.
  • Darlene Salamone Darlene Salamone on Feb 21, 2013
    When there is a sinkhole, you call your insurance company, they handle the testing and then let you know what you have to do from there.
  • Roy Roy on Feb 25, 2013
    Looks to be septic tank related. Don't know anyone in the business...so only have to try and find someone, maybe online.
  • Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls on Feb 25, 2013
    Thanks for letting us know Roy. Good luck with the repair.
  • Todd Todd on Nov 28, 2015
    Underground mine shafts. Or normal erosion. Depending on where you live someone may be legally liable