Sinkhole Causes
- Rotting buried stumps
- When some builders clear lots for a new development, they dug holes and buried stumps and organic debris. After many years, the organic material decays and can create a depression in the ground.
- Broken automated watering
- Poor drainage when underlying soil is deep sand
- Thousands of years ago this was an inland sea. Also some areas near rivers and streams can have high water tables.
- Once a depression forms in the ground, rainwater & snow runoff will collect and drain downward forming a path to the underground high water table.
- It regularly carries some of the underground sand particles with it as the water flows dow and over time creates a sink hole.
- If left unattended, the depression will inevitably continue to grow. Periods of heavy rains can impact the rate of growth.
Lasting Sinkhole Repairs
- You will not get a lasting repair to just fill with top soil plant grass.. Over time, the sinkhole often returns since it does not address the drainage issues.
- JMC Landscaping will fill the sinkhole with a “Low Permeable Soil” like CLAY-SAND and compact it. This soil is a blend of clay, silt, and sandy loam that compacts easily to provide a low permeable layer that inhibits drainage and redirects water to an adjacent area of the landscape.
- We then grade this base area so any rainfall or snow melt will flow away from your house and be disbursed over a wider area.
- After the area has been graded, we add a layer of topsoil to allow grass to be planted to hold the soil in place.
- We make sure this layer is properly graded to allow the water to flow away and be disbursed. The goal is for rainfall to be disbursed over a wider area and not allow a concentration of water to flow directly into the ground in one spot.
Other Recommendations
- Always use gutters and make sure the runoff is diverted away from your house foundation. Put extensions on the ends of your downspouts so the rainfall does not flow into the ground near your foundation and potentially undermined the foundation footings.
- It’s always best for the landscape area around your house to slope away from the house.
- Repair leaky sprinkler heads. Over the years, I have seen a seriously leaky head cause a depression needing attention.
- Some areas of side or back yards may be surrounded by higher ground making it hard to slope the ground away. For problem areas consider adding a “French drain” to allow any surface water to better flow away from the house and lawn.